


The Hobbit/LOTR Oneshots

by akpoptrash1



Category: The Hobbit - All Media Types, The Lord of the Rings - All Media Types
Genre: F/F, F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-01-25
Updated: 2016-01-05
Packaged: 2018-03-08 23:36:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 19
Words: 31,923
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3227738
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/akpoptrash1/pseuds/akpoptrash1
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A series of oneshots including characters from the Tolkien universe. I do take requests.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Was Blind But Now I See

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Orignal Character :)

Raina Baggins hated her life.

She had been born blind. This shouldn't have been a big deal, but no hobbit had ever been born blind. They all thought she was a mistake or an abomination.

What was worse was that no one wanted to marry her. Raina would've been fine with that, but only men can stay single. Women have to marry. So the leaders of the Shire set her up with Lotho.

Lotho was a vile hobbit that Raina hated, and he hated her as well. But she was rich and lived in Bag End, the biggest home in the Shire. Lotho's family wanted what she had, but they could only get it through marriage. Lotho was the only one the right age for the marriage in the family.

What was worse was that everyone thought Lotho was a respectable hobbit who could tame the apparently wild Raina.

Thankfully, Lotho was "traveling" for a while. That basically meant he was staying away for as long as he could before he had to get married.

Raina hated her life, but that all changed one sunny afternoon.

She was sitting on the bench in her front garden, book written in braille open on her lap, walking stick leaning on her leg, when a shadow fell on her.

Despite being blind, she could tell the difference between light and dark. The sun had been shining on her face, so she blinked when it became darker.

It was silent for a few moments before Raina said, "If there is someone there, you had better say something, because I hate talking to nothing."

"My apologies," came an old, kind voice. He paused for a moment. "Are you the daughter of Belladonna Took and Bungo Baggins?"

"Yes, why?"

"I was just making sure. I did not want to share my information with a random person."

"I'm sorry, but could you please tell me who you are?"

"I am Gandalf, Gandalf the Grey."

"Well, Gandalf, if this really is top secret information, why don't you come inside so no prying ears hear?"

"That sounds good, very good."

Raina stood up, gripping her walking stick, moving it back and forth while she walked.

"You do not have to pretend around me," Gandalf said.

"Maybe not around you, but there are eyes everywhere," she answered calmly, but inside she was wondering how he could have known about her pretending she needed a walking stick.

When Raina was small, very very small, her father had taught her a trick. She learned to send out vibrations. Vibrations that painted a sort of picture in her head that told her what was around her. At first she could only see what was in front of her, but now she can see at least a mile away.

Using the vibrations, Raina saw that Gandalf was holding a staff, but he was not leaning on it. He had to be a wizard!

Raina began to make tea for the two of them, being extra cautious around the stove. She was thankful that Gandalf didn't offer to help. She hated when people did that, as if Raina couldn't handle anything because she was blind.

Once the tea was on the table, Raina sat and waited.

It was silent for a while before she spoke up.

"If you're going to tell me, you had better say it now."

"Right, I am looking for someone to share in an adventure."

"You're asking a blind girl to go with you on an adventure?"

"Yes."

Raina paused, running her fingers over the rough wooden table. This was all she could ever hope for, but now that she had it, she wasn't sure she wanted it.

"Who is going on this adventure?" Raina asked.

"13 dwarves."

"Ummmm." She didn't know how to respond to that.

"They will be coming by tonight for dinner."

"Night is only 3 hours away, and you expect me to cook for 13 dwarves?"

"Yes. Now, what do we do about your eyes?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, we can't let them know that you are blind right away."

Raina let out a sigh. Apparently, her eyes were a lovely blue, but had a grayish covering over it. This gave away that she was blind.

"Would you like me to put on a veil?"

"Yes, that would work. I must be off. I will see you tonight!" With that, Gandalf stood up and was out the door before Raina could react.

"Great, 13 dwarves in 3 hours," Raina thought. "I should get my veil on right away"

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Raina stood in her dining hall, food spread all over the table, and sighed. Even with the vibrations, it was hard for her to get the food ready. They didn't always make it to the top of the table, so sometimes she grasped around blindly.

Ring ring!

Raina made sure her walking stick was safely in the closet before moving to the door. The vibrations told her that Gandalf was not on the other side, but rather, a burly dwarf.

She opened the door, acting like someone with sight.

"Dwalin, at your service," he said.

"Raina Baggins, at yours," she quickly replied, stepping out of his way.

Raina was unprepared for the dwarves that kept appearing. They acted so differently than hobbits, that it was hard to keep up her blind act.

Eventually, Gandalf arrived, but not before she was nearly squished by the mountain of dwarves pressed up against her door.

Dwalin, Balin, Kili, Fili, Nori, Dori, Ori, Oin, Gloin, Bifur, Bofur, and Bombur. There was one missing, and for some reason, Raina had an awful feeling about that.

Gandalf did his best to keep the attention off of her, but she kept having close encounters.

"Why aren't you eating, Raina?" asked Bofur.

"I'm not that hungry," she replied, looking to where she thought he was before checking the vibrations.

"Um, I'm over here," he said. The vibrations told her she was looking to his right rather than at his face.

"Sorry, just a bit tired," Raina quickly said. Bofur, thankfully, shrugged it off.

Finally, dinner ended and the dishes were done by some surprisingly helpful dwarves. It was then the bell rang again.

Raina hesitantly made her way to the door. She opened it and heard the other dwarf say, "Gandalf, you said this place would be easy to find. I got lost, twice."

She barely made it out of the way when he came strolling into her house.

"Raina, may I introduce the leader of our company, Thorin Oakenshield."

"So this is the hobbit," Thorin said as he circled Raina. "Tell me, what is you weapon of choice? Axe or sword?"

"Um, I don't know."

"Why are you wearing that veil?"

"Thorin," came a warning voice.

"A certain wizard told me I had to," she replied, refusing to be blamed.

Being blind, her other senses became sharper to make up for the loss, so she heard someone whisper, "Is she that ugly?"

Raina whirled toward the voice, fingers clenched into fists. "Who said that? I shall have you know that I am not hiding behind this veil because I am that ugly." She raised her hand and whipped off the veil, showing everyone her gray covered eyes.

"What?"

"She's blind!"

"Thank you for pointing that out, I had no idea that I was," she forced out through clenched teeth.

"Gandalf, I refuse to bring a helpless, blind girl on our quest. She will just get in the way," Thorin said.

"Just because I'm blind does not mean I'm deaf, Thorin Oakenshield," Raina said, turning towards him. "Nor does it mean I am helpless. I can see more than you.

"For example, the order of the dwarves standing behind me from left to right is Dwalin, Oin, Balin, Kili, Fili, Bofur, Gloin, Nori, Bifur, Dori, Ori, and Bombur. Dwalin seems to be hovering close to you, like a guard. You are probably some sort of royal, most likely a king. Your clothes are nicer than the others, less worn and less dirty, but they are not royal clothes. Fili just elbowed Kili for staring and keeping his mouth open. Gandalf is looking very smug and proud of himself because I have just proven that I am not helpless and am very valuable.

"But that's not enough for you. You think he is somehow communicating with me and telling me these things. After all, he's a wizard. But I can see that Fili has at leaset 10 concealed knives under his clothes. Gloin has extra coin bags under his belt. You have a very special map hidden in a pocket on the inside of your coat. If you are hungry, there is still some food in the pantry. I will be in the living room, so you can carry on with whatever you came here to do."

With that, Raina turned on her heel and strolled into the living room. She sat down on a chair, keeping her feet on the ground.

The dwarves were silent for a little bit before moving back to the table to discuss their quest.

Raina was able to locate her book and began to read. To make herself more comfortable, she moved back and kicked her feet up, blocking the vibrations.

It was because of this she didn't see Kili come in.

"Raina," he said. She jumped and quickly put her feet on the floor, watching the vibrations. He had a piece of paper outstretched toward her.

"What is this?" Raina asked.

"This is the contract that you have to sign to come on our quest."

"Okay, and how am I supposed to read it?"

She heard some chuckles coming from the other room. The vibrations showed that they were all turned towards her, watching.

"Um, I, uh, you were reading before," Kili stammered, unsure of what to do.

"I was reading braille, see?" Raina asked, showing him the book. "I can't see small details, such as words, or colors. If you really want me to sign the contract, you should read it to me."

So, Kili read it. It took a long time, as the contract was so big, but eventually, he finished.

"That sounds fair, I will sign it. Give it to me," Raina said. Once she was holding it, she quickly walked to her study. In there, she had a contraption that allowed her to write in braille. After years of using it, she was very quick.

Within seconds she had pushed dots into the bottom of the paper on the line she was supposed to sign.

Raina walked back to the dwarves and put the contract down on the table. Balin reached for it and looked it over. Gloin looked over his shoulder.

"You damaged the contract!" he exclaimed. This, of course, caused a panic. "There are holes in the paper!"

"That's braille," Raina almost hissed. "I can't write with a pen, that's too small of a detail. I read and write with that. Are you done accusing me?"

Gandalf chuckled and stood up. "Well, you have your burglar. I consider this a meeting well done."

The dwarves moved as one into the living room. Raina took a deep breath and walked outside. The cool air felt nice, soothing.

There must have been a window open because she was able to hear the dwarves singing from her little bench. It sounded like a death march, and in a way it was. Raina swallowed her tears and went back inside.

Once the dwarves knew of the sleeping arrangements, she retired to her room.

Moving sluggishly, she packed a pair of brown pants and a green shirt. Raina knew the colors because she had her wardrobe color coordinated. Red to black. she also knew which colors looked good together by her mother, who had spent over an hour explaining the need for matching colors.

She laid out a brown and green skirt with pants sewn in under and a second green shirt. Her cloak was hanging on it's respected hook, ready to be used. Raina also grabbed a black coat and put that into her bag. It might get cold at night.

Carefully, she washed her face, changed, and sat on her bed. Night was always the scariest thing for Raina. Not because it was dark, but because she was suspended off the ground and it was harder to get her feet to the floor fast.

With a sigh, she lifted her feet up and laid down.

•••••••••••••••••••••••••

The next morning, Raina was up making a quick breakfast for everyone. While they were eating, she went into her study. In there were shelves full of books. She ran her hands along the spines until she found the two she was looking for. A book of poems and a book of fairytales. The books were small, but the braille was smaller.

With cheery voices, the dwarves called around that it was time to go. Raina quickly stuffed the books into her bag and hurried out the door.

She almost stopped short when the vibrations showed her their means of transportation.

"Gandalf, I can't ride those, I won't be able to see!" Raina said quietly.

"You'll have to," Gandalf replied, patting her shoulder.

The whole time she was on the pony, Raina felt for the first time what it was like to truly be blind. She could hear the others and feel the reins and the saddle, but she couldn't see anything.

"Are you alright lass?" came Bofur's voice. Raina jumped a little, taking a deep breath to calm herself down.

"Fine physically or fine mentally?" she asked.

There was a short pause before he answered, "Both, I guess."

"Well, physically, I'm fine, other than the fact that I'm blind. That part is rather unfortunate." Bofur chuckled a little at that. "Mentally, however, is a totally different story. I can't see a thing, and I'm freaking out a little."

"Isn't that what it's always like?" asked Kili. Raina fought the urge to say some pretty nasty things.

"Yes and no. I can't see with my eyes, but I see with my feet. It has to do with the vibrations of the earth. That's how I'm able to see everything touching the ground. Currently, I'm suspended above the ground on a thing that could bolt at the sight of a snake or buck me off. Mentally, I am in a state of panic."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Bofur said.

"How did you become blind, Raina?" Fili asked.

She shrugged. "I was born blind."

"So you've never seen color? Or anything?" Kili asked.

"No, thank you for reminding me," Raina said bitterly. It was quiet for a while. She threw thoughts around in her head. Her parents had told her the importance of color, but they had never quite explained what they meant. She gathered her courage and asked, "What are colors like? What do they mean?"

"Well, which color do you want to know about first?" Balin asked.

"Green," she answered immediately. Green was apparently everywhere in the Shire.

It was quiet for a moment before Ori said quietly, "Green is, safety, or hope."

"Nature," Kili offered.

"But if you look green, you're sick," Oin said loudly. Raina had figured out that he was in charge of healing people.

"What about blue?"

They did this for a while, becoming a sort of game. Raina had made a list of the colors and their meanings by the end it.

Blue is power, calming, and healing, but it is also a way to say you're sad or depressed.

Red is anger, danger, and courage, but make it lighter, pink, and it means love.

Orange is enthusiasm, determination, and strength, but make it darker and it means distrust.

Purple is luxury, magic, and romance. The darker it is, the more royal it is.

Yellow is happiness, joy, and energy, but it can also mean decay or closeness to death.

White is the opposite of black. It's pure, innocent, holy. The dwarves called it plain and boring, but of all the colors, that was the one Raina wanted to see the most.

Out of curiosity, she asked what black meant to them. Evil, mysterious, death, grief, and fear were among their suggestions. She compared that to her meaning, which was restraining, everything.

••••••••••

The days went on, traveling. Raina didn't tell them how much fun she was having, even though they said that the days seemed to drag on.

One night, there was a distant howl that came to their ears. Raina stood up, trying to get better sight. She saw a huge creature, like a wolf, but more vicious. It bent its head and took a bite out of a deer, taking out almost half of the meat.

Raina gasped and stumbled back, trying to pull back her vision, but she was still watching in horrible fascination. Someone pushed her down, and she lost the connection,

"What? What did you see?" Gandalf asked. Raina took a moment, trying to regain her breathing. Her head felt light and there was a slight ringing in her ears.

"It was, it was huge. Like a wolf, but worse. How can anything be worse than a wolf?" Her last sentence came out more like a plea to be wrong than a question.

"You saw a warg, probably orcs nearby," Kili said gravely.

"Orcs?" Raina asked, remembering tales of bloodthirsty orcs roaming Middle Earth.

"They attack in the night," Kili continued, "silently, and cut everyone's throats. No screams, just a lot of blood."

Just when Raina thought it couldn't get worse, she heard Kili and Fili snicker. She glared at them, ready to knock sense into their heads when she saw someone coming over. She identified the heavy boots before the vibrations did.

"You think an orc raid is funny?" Thorin asked. The camp was dead silent. Raina realized this was the first time Thorin had spoken loud enough for more than one person to hear since they had started at her house.

Fili and Kili tumbled over themselves trying to apologize, but Thorin had already gone off to brood. Raina remembered then that he was Fili and Kili's uncle, and because their dad died, their father figure.

No wonder they tried so hard to impress him.

"Don't mind him," Balin said. "Thorin has more reason to hate orcs than most." He went on to tell of Thorin's battle against the pale orc Azog.

Raina laid her head on her backpack, thinking of that battle. She had begun to like the night. She was on the ground, so she could see, and she was able to sleep without worry. No accidental rollings out of bed from dreams, or tangled feet in blankets unable to locate the floor.

The next day, she was approached by Dwalin.

"Here," he said gruffly, holding out a sort of club with spikes on it. Raina hesitantly took it. It was small, but perfect for her.

"Thanks," she said.

"Tonight I'm going to teach you how to use it. Don't eat too much at dinner." With that, Dwalin moved back to his pony.

That night, true to his word, Dwalin showed Raina the different stances and how to hold the club. It was a little harder for her, but she managed.

••••••••••••••••••

Raina watched Gandalf storm off, walking on and on. Thorin ordered the others to set up camp.

Raina continued to watch Gandalf as she ate. He stopped and started pacing. He looked like he was talking to himself.

"Raina," came a voice. She was about to focus on them, but noticed Gandalf doing something. She held up a finger to whoever was standing in front of her, watching.

Gandalf raised his staff, paused, then forcefully put it back on the ground. Cracks appeared, like a map. Gandalf was studying them. Then he stood up and disappeared.

Raina focused on the present. She found all the dwarves gathered around her. Oin was checking her head.

"What are you doing?" she asked. They all jumped.

"Well, you weren't responding to us-" Oin said.

"I wasn't looking here," she interrupted. "I was watching Gandalf."

"What do you mean?" Balin asked.

"I can see farther than here. You should know that. That's how I saw the warg the other night."

The dwarves honestly didn't seem to know that. Raina sighed. "What did you want me to do?"

"We were going to ask if you could bring soup to Fili and Kili, but Gloin went instead," Bombur said.

Raina nodded. She watched them move around the camp. Balin was wondering what was taking Gloin so long. So, she started to search.

She finally did find them, battling three gigantic creatures.

"They're in trouble!" Raina exclaimed, jumping to her feet.

"What do you mean?" Thorin asked. Again, a very big surprise that he had spoken out loud.

"The ponies are in a type of corral. There are these three really big things that are trying to grab at them. They aren't doing very well, we need to go now!" Raina grabbed her club and took off running.

She led them to the clearing, charging into battle. They did pretty well, but Raina had a hard time seeing where their hands were, with them being so big. Two of them grabbed her.

"Drop yer weapons, or we rip 'er little arms off!" one of them shouted above the noise. She heard the clanging stop. Raina wasn't sure what was going on. She heard more clanging, then felt herself being shoved into something.

The others must have been shoved into these things as well, because there were lots of shouts of protest.

"What's going on?" she asked softly to whoever was next to her.

"Well, the trolls have half of us are tied up in sacks, the others are tied up and roasting over the fire," Bombur explained.

Raina felt around in her sack for a hole. She finally found one and was able to stick her toe out. The trolls seemed very dumb, as they didn't seem to be watching the dinner that was on the ground.

As carefully as she could, Raina made the hole bigger and bigger, until she was able to stick her arm and foot out. While keeping an eye on the trolls, metaphorically, she managed to untie the sack. She wiggled out and ran for the trees, taking her sack with her, so the trolls wouldn't be suspicious.

As soon as Raina was safe, she searched for Gandalf. He was a long ways away, but he was coming towards them in a run. He knew about the danger, somehow.

But he wasn't going to get there in time. The dwarves could eaten before he arrived.

Raina took a deep breath and shouted, "Wow, you are ugly!" Then she ran to a different spot.

"Oi! Who said that?" said a troll.

"Yep, uglier than a goblin-orc mutant!" Raina shouted. She continued to shout insults before running to a new spots. Multiple times she changed direction, barely dodging a troll or two.

Finally, Gandalf arrived. He split a rock in two, allowing sunlight the hit the trolls, turning them to stone.

As Raina stood there, she got many thanks and was praised, but she felt useless in that moment. She wasn't tall enough to get the unlucky dwarves down from the spit and she didn't trust herself to cut the dwarves free, as untying them would take too long.

••••••••••

Raina watched the dwarves sift through the troll hoard. Of course, she watched from a safe distance, outside and by the tree line.

Because her other senses were enhanced, the smell was even stronger, causing her to almost throw up.

Raina instead stood guard, watching for threats. She started a search, slowly expanding into a mile radius. A sleigh suddenly burst into her line of sight.

"Hey! Incoming!" she yelled. The dwarves were all out and surrounding her in seconds.

"What is it?" Thorin asked. Raina raised her eyebrows slightly.

"A sleigh pulled by rabbits carrying a strange man with a staff. It's closing in fast and will burst through somewhere in this area," she reported, waving her arms in front of her.

With in two minutes, the bushes were broken by a madman on a sleigh.

"Radagast!" Gandalf exclaimed, stepping forward and patting the newcomers shoulder. Raina came to the conclusion that this new man was also a wizard.

The wizards went off to talk while the rest of the company just stood there. It seemed Thorin had required a new sword, and the dwarves were gathered around admiring it.

Raina scanned the area looking for any danger. She felt something whizz past her face and she stepped back, focusing on who was in front of her.

"Raina, did you hear what I said?" Thorin asked. Raina saw that the others were packing things up. Raina herself already had all her things packed.

"No, I didn't. Could you repeat?"

"I said that you need to help Bombur pack the food." Raina found Bombur and saw that Bifur was already helping him.

"I think Bifur's got it. Why don't I continue watching for trouble?"

"Excuse me?" Raina noticed that Thorin's voice was getting awfully close to that rude tone she so often heard with the other hobbits at home.

She straightened slightly. "I think it would be best if I kept watch. I can see very far and can give us a head start if danger comes."

"You will help Bombur." Everyone was watching them. Raina took in a breath and decided to let Thorin make a fool of himself. She could see already that something big was making its way over.

"Fine. But don't say I didn't warn you." She turned and walked over to Bifur and Bombur. They actually had already packed everything, so Raina stood there, watching the warg make its way over to them. She extended her search and saw a whole pack of wargs ridden by orcs.

There was a loud growl as the warg burst through the undergrowth. Kili shot it, ending its barks, but it was still too loud.

"Follow me!" Gandalf shouted. Raina tried to catch up to him, to tell him that if they changed direction, they'd run into elves, who were on horses and could protect them.

Gandalf, however, was too fast. So Raina turned and ran off. Someone yelled her name and she saw Bofur following her.

"Raina stop!" he shouted.

"Elves! They can help! The others are running into the pack!" she shouted over her shoulder. Raina kept running, and soon she heard the sound of hooves.

"Stop! Stop!" she yelled. The hooves came to a stop in front of her.

"Who are you?" a voice asked from the top of the horse.

"I am blind and have no idea who I'm talking to."

"I am Lord Elrond."

"I am Raina Baggins, and this is Bofur. Gandalf, Thorin Oakenshield, and his company are running into a pack of orcs and wargs. They need your help!"

Lord Elrond helped her onto his horse while another elf helped Bofur onto theirs.

"Where are they?"

"That way, heading for a mound of rocks, one has a secret passage under it."

Lord Elrond said something in Elvish and off they went. Raina didn't know what was going on, but she heard trumpets being blown, the growls of wargs, and arrows being released.

"Where are we going?" Raina asked once the growls stopped.

"We are going to meet the others at Rivendell," Lord Elrond replied.

After a while, the hooves of the horses started hitting what sounded like some type of smooth stone instead of rough earth. Raina heard what seemed to be the rest of the company.

Lord Elrond got off the horse and helped Raina down. She was so glad to see again, and practically drank in the sight of Rivendell.

"Gandalf!" Lord Elrond exclaimed. "You are lucky your hobbit found us. We barely took care of your orc and warg problem."

"Yes, we are lucky," Gandalf said. It sounded like he was amused.

Bofur clapped Raina on the shoulder before joining the rest of the dwarves.

Lord Elrond invited the company in for food and rest. After a very weird dinner, Raina took a walk through Rivendell. She thought it might cheer her up, after having to share a room with dwarves who didn't know how to appreciate the amazing cooking of elves.

In truth, the walk made Raina even more sad. She could tell that Rivendell was beautiful. There were stories and descriptions even in the Shire. But she couldn't see the color or the details. It only looked like outlines of houses and patches where plants grew.

She sat down on a bench, head in her hands. Raina straightened, running her hands through her hair. Her parents would tell her off for acting sad about herself. She should be lucky she was even here.

Raina eventually got thanks from the company, even though none of them liked being with elves.

••••••••••

They set off early, for some odd reason, without Gandalf. Raina yawned the whole day, having stayed up later than usual trying to memorize a poem.

The rain was a wake up call, the cliffs were unnecessary.

Raina had a hard time seeing. The rain always messed with the vibration, but now she had to walk along a very narrow, slippery path.

To make it even worse, her feet didn't have grips like the dwarves' boots did.

Raina tried voicing her concerns, but Bofur and Ori were the only ones that listened. Ori walked in front of her, Bofur walked behind her. They tried to balance her out.

It worked fine until there was a boom and someone shouted something about rock giants.

Raina felt the ground moving. She clung to the rock, taking quick and shallow breaths. She felt a rock wall in front of them, and for the brief moment, loosened her grip. But her hobbit feet caused her to slip.

"Raina!" someone shouted. They were all yelling her name as she clung to the side of the cliff. It was difficult to get a foot on the rock to see what was going on or raise an arm to find whatever hand was reaching for her.

Raina felt someone land beside her and heave her up. She was lifted onto the slippery path, hands all holding her back.

They found a cave and Raina turned to say thank you to Thorin, whom she found out had saved her, only to hear, "She has been gone since she left. We shouldn't have brought a helpless blind girl on this quest."

Raina stood stiff, fists clenched and anger growing.

"Need I remind you, Thorin Oakenshield, that while I am blind, I am not deaf, nor am I helpless," she began, facing the dwarf. "If you recall, I was the one who made the diversion so Gandalf could save us. I was the one who saw the warg pack. I was the one who got help. If you dare call me helpless just because I slipped on some wet rock, I will leave and let this company die, because all it seems I do is save it."

Raina turned to help Bombur with the food when she fully looked at the place. Above the ground was a normal cave, but below it...

"We need to get out, now!" she said frantically. Before the others could ask, the ground opened up and they fell.

••••••••••

Raina slowly came to, ignoring the banging in her head. She got her feet planted and saw more than she ever thought she could.

All around her was rock. Above her, below her, both sides. Rock was more pure than the normal ground. Raina didn't even know what hung on her walls at home. Now, she could see what was above her head.

Raina felt tears forming. She let those happy tears run down her face before pulling herself together.

She had to have fallen a long ways. How was she still alive?

Raina then noticed what appeared to be mushrooms. Huge mushrooms that were barely bent. The must have cushioned her fall.

But, Raina noticed something sticky. It was covering her back. She studied the mushrooms. She covered her mouth to stop herself from hyperventilating.

Underneath those mushrooms, were the remains of something, and it was fresh.

It was only covered with a thin piece of cloth around the waist. It had large feet, but they were slightly smaller than hers.

Raina hugged her body, gasping for breath. She had killed something, landed on it. It may have been innocent. What had she done?

Raina pulled herself together, assessing her body for damage. Nothing hurt, except for her head, but it didn't seem to be badly damaged.

She pushed her sight as far as it could go. There was a way out. She began her trek, climbing over rocks and ducking under low ceilings.

It seemed, after a while, that Raina had been walking longer than one mile. She realized that with the rock, she could see longer than one mile. She couldn't measure the exact distance, but it was far.

After what seemed like days, Raina emerged into the sunlight. She collapsed to the ground, letting the sunlight warm her body.

Raina stood up and focused, searching to see if the company was anywhere. After a minute, she found them, not too far off. With one last touch to the mountain, she started towards the company.

"We should leave without her," Gloin said. "We're wasting time."

"But how will we get in without a burglar?" Dori asked.

"You could learn to look harder," Raina said, taking a step forward.

At first, there were cries of happiness, but it quickly turned to cries of horror.

"How are you still walking after losing all that blood?" Oin asked frantically, sitting her down.

"It's not my blood," Raina replied softly. The company was silent.

"Who?" Gandalf asked. Raina silently willed him to understand that she didn't mean for the creature to die, as no one else would understand.

"I fell and I guess I fell on this, this creature. It was like a hobbit, but with smaller feet. Did I kill a, a distant relative to hobbits?"

"No," Gandalf said, kindness and understanding filling his voice as he knelt down and took Raina's hands. "What you killed was a creature who had been alive for far too long. You helped it pass on."

Raina nodded, took in a breath, and stood up. "Well, what's the plan?"

Suddenly, there was a loud howl. It sounded like wargs, and it was close.

"Follow me, quickly!" Gandalf shouted. Raina saw immediately where he was headed.

"Gandalf the Grey you listen right now!" she practically screamed. Everyone froze. "The direction you are running in leads to a cliff. The wargs have spread out and will surround you before you can do whatever your plan is. If we go that way, there is a house that I bet you were planning on going to. There are no wargs and none of us will possibly die. I am going that way, and you can come, too, or you can go the reckless way."

Raina turned and ran as fast as she could. The others, thankfully, followed. They made it to the very large house in the nick of time. A very large man was standing there.

As Gandalf made his way to the front of the group, he whispered to Raina, "Look traumatized."

Raina let all the guilt from earlier wash over her. She started sobbing, nearly collapsing. Bofur and Ori, thankfully, caught her.

"Are you alright?" Ori asked. Raina shook her head, making sure to keep her face up so the tall man could see that she was blind.

Gandalf said a few words to the man and the man left. When the door closed, Gandalf said, "Raina, that was amazing."

Raina straightened, wiping away her tears. Everyone was silent.

"You faked that?" Balin asked, amazement hidden beneath his words.

"A crying, blind girl is exactly the thing that everyone plays their sympathies on," Raina explained. "If a group of weird, dirty people showed up on your doorstep, you would turn them away. But if you saw a girl with them, who happened to be blind and was clearly traumatized, you would look heartless if you turned them away."

While the others worked that over, she turned and went to the river that was in the way back of the man's garden. After she washed her body, Raina changed into her second set of clothes and began to wash her first set.

"Raina?" came a voice. She watched as Kili and Fili drew closer.

"Yes, if you could tell me have much blood is still left and where, that would be marvelous," Raina said, holding up the shirt.

"There is still a stain," Kili said slowly. It almost sounded like he was horrified, or maybe disgusted by the blood.

"It's right below your hands," Fili said.

"Curse this shirt!" She bent over it, scrubbing as hard as she could. "I am listening. Pour out your heart and soul."

"We wanted to thank you for saving our lives," Fili said.

"More than once, actually," Kili interrupted.

"And we wanted to tell you that you shouldn't let what Thorin says get to you."

Raina sighed and turned to face them.

"All of us have troubles, weights on our shoulders. Thorin happens to have a very heavy one. I don't think he realizes what he's said until after he says it. By that time, you can't take it back, so he goes with it, which adds more weight to his shoulders.

"I don't let his words get to me, because I do not have the idea of walking around and feeling sad because someone said something."

Raina turned back to her chore, letting the boys digest what she had said.

"What is your weight, Raina?" Kili asked. Fili elbowed him.

"My weight? I have to return home after this and get married to a man I don't love. He's only marrying me because I have lots of money and because women can't stay single. I suppose it might get better when I have a child."

Raina didn't add that she had just killed something. This was the first thing she had killed, but she hadn't even given it the choice to live.

Kili and Fili walked away. Raina noticed that Thorin was standing nearby, probably stumbled upon their conversation and decided to listen. She turned and looked at him. He seemed to be looking back. She nodded and turned back to her chore, whistling a merry little tune.

••••••••••

The company stood at the entrance to Mirkwood. Gandalf had just left them, and they were feeling very grumpy. Raina was put to the task of being leader, because the forest was dark, and lighting fires brought huge moths and glowing eyes, as seen the very first night.

After just two days of traveling, Bofur noticed a change in Raina. She seemed more jumpy, and looked like she hadn't been sleeping well.

After a week, Raina's change in attitude was very noticeable. She didn't join in conversations randomly like normal, or make her usual sarcastic remarks.

Two weeks passed, and the Raina the company once knew was completely gone. This new Raina was very nervous, jumping whenever someone started go speak. If someone tried to touch her, like tapping her shoulder, she would whirl around with a look like she was choking down a scream. Her eyes, though they couldn't see, darted around constantly, as if they were trying to watch multiple things at once. She also seemed to stop sleeping. She maybe got an hour here or there, but she always woke up with a jolt.

One night, when they were getting ready for bed, Ori asked Raina quietly, "Are you okay?"

The old Raina would have made some sarcastic remark about being fine physically, but mentally freaking out. The new Raina, however, said, "No." She sat down on her mat, pulled her legs up against her body, and said nothing more.

It got so bad that even Dwalin and Thorin, who mostly ignored the others, began to worry.

"Balin, what's wrong with her?" Dwalin asked. They were at the back if the group, safely away from Raina's ears.

"Lad, she's scared," Balin replied sadly.

"Is there anything we can do?" Thorin asked.

"If you could stop her from being scared, then you would be a savior."

That night, Thorin walked up to Raina, sat down next to her, and asked, "What is it that scares you?"

Raina took to her normal night position of hugging her legs. It was a very long moment before she whispered, "Those things. Those creatures. They are always watching. Horrible things. With-" Raina stopped suddenly, closing her eyes and taking a shaky breath. She said no more.

The company was running low on food and water, and they started to complain. Thorin turned to Raina.

"Do you know how much longer until we are out of here?"

Raina looked at him sadly. "I look every morning and every night, but from what I can tell, we are three fourths of the way out."

This did not raise the company's spirits. More complaints were heard, but they were silenced by something truly horrifying.

It had started with mumbling. It grew to a scream, getting louder and louder. It was worse than murder, it was full blown terror.

Raina was cowering against a tree, screaming. She was whipping her head around, as if her head was a leaf in a strong wind.

"NO! Please, no, go away! GO AWAY! No!" Bofur and Ori were on both sides of her, trying to calm her down. Oin managed to stop her thrashing for a moment feel her forehead and take her pulse. She continued screaming, barely even drawing breath. Oin rummaged through his bag, mixing herbs faster than Kili could load his bow. He held the herbs under Raina's nose.

She seemed to become sloppy, slow. Her arms relaxed, dropping to her sides. Her screaming stopped, her breathing slowed. Raina closed her eyes, seeming to be asleep.

"She's in a trance," Oin said, answering the unspoken question. Nori lifted her up over his shoulder, and they continued on their way. It was a little more difficult without someone to keep track, but they managed.

After an hour of this, they ran into trouble. They heard something like scuttling in the shadows. Suddenly, huge spiders erupted from the darkness. They were all grabbed, wrapped up in the sticky webs. In the scuffle, Nori dropped Raina. The spiders presumed she was dead and left her lying in the middle of the path.

A while later, Raina came to. She slowly sat up, massaging her temples. She looked around, almost panicking when she couldn't find the others. Before Raina could start searching, she heard voices. It sounded like Elvish.

"Please, help!" she called, putting on her desperate voice. Raina started crying, standing up.

"Who are you? What's wrong?" asked one of them. She knelt down in front of her. She gasped slightly, and Raina knew that she realized that she was blind.

"I'm Raina Baggins. I was traveling with a group of dwarves, and I had a panic attack. Oin used some herbs to calm me down. It caused me to pass out. I woke up here and they were all gone. Can you please help me?"

She stood up, the Elf, and turned to the others, speaking Elvish rather quickly. Then she knelt back down in front of Raina.

"I'm Tauriel. We are going to bring you back to the Mirkwood Kingdom. Can you walk on your own?"

Raina shook her head, going back to her old method. "I lost my walking stick."

She heard a stick breaking and was handed a long stick by one of the Elves. Tauriel kept a hand on her shoulder, leading her down the path. They eventually came to a river. They went a little slower over the bridge, stopping to wait as the doors opened.

They continued walking through the vast halls. Finally, they came to a stop in front of a throne. Tauriel bowed, taking a slight step backward.

"Who are you?" came a smooth voice. A tall man sat on the throne.

"I'm Raina Baggins."

"What are you doing in the middle Mirkwood forest, alone and blind?"

Raina swallowed her fury. "I was travelling with my friends. We were on our way to Laketown, and I bet that we could get there faster if we took the path, because we had been on the road for so long. They all agreed, so we went, and I had one of my panic attacks. They had to knock me out, and when I woke up, they were gone." Raina let a couple tears fall, quickly wiping them away.

"These panic attacks, do they happen often?"

"They happened a lot when I was young, but they stopped as I grew older. There was something about the woods," Raina stopped, shaking her head, trying to get the feeling off of her. "Oin knew the right herbs to use and he was able to calm me down. I woke up, and they were gone. A little bit later, Tauriel and some other Elves showed up."

The man said nothing.

"Please, can you help me find my friends?" Raina asked. She wiped away another tear, that one being real. Gandalf was gone, and now the company was, too. She was alone.

"King Thranduil, if I may," Tauriel said, stepping forward. "I have already sent out a search party. They should be back within the hour."

"Thank you, Tauriel. Inform me when they arrive." Tauriel turned and walked briskly away. "Raina, tell me more about you. Where are you from?"

Raina crafted a story. She was from the Shire, and had met Bofur and Ori at the Prancing Pony a year ago. She had an interest in their travels, and they invited her to come with them to Laketown. She traveled with 13, all dwarves, who became her good friends.

Tauriel suddenly appeared. "King Thranduil, we have found the 13 dwarves."

The dwarves came up the stairs. Raina made her way over, throwing her arms around Thorin, who was in front.

"We are traveling to Laketown. We decided to take the path to get there quicker and I had a panic attack," she whispered quickly in his ear. "I met Bofur and Ori at the Prancing Pony a year ago, and they invited me on your journey."

She released him, smiling. She turned and hugged the next person, who happened to be Balin. "Play along," she whispered in his ear.

"Hello," King Thranduil said. "Who might you be?"

Thorin replied with, "I am Garum, son of Garur."

"Tell me, what are you doing in Mirkwood?"

"We were traveling to Laketown, and Raina thought that the path through Mirkwood would be quicker than going all the way around. So we went that way."

"What stopped you?"

"Raina had a panic attack. Oin mixed some herbs that knocked her out. While we were walking, these giant spiders attacked and caught us off guard. We were taken to their nest. I think they were going to eat us, but some Elves suddenly came, killed the spiders, and brought us here."

It was silent for a while. Raina practically held her breath.

"Well, I see no reason to keep you. I will give you some supplies and send you on your way."

Raina let out a small sigh of relief. Bofur helped her walk away from the throne. They were led back to the doors where small packs filled with food and water were already waiting.

Once they were a safe distance away, the dwarves congratulated Raina on her quick thinking.

"That was amazing!" Ori said.

"It really wasn't anything. I was just worried that you all had gone and gotten yourselves killed."

••••••••••

The company traveled through Mirkwood for one more week before arriving at the bank of a lake. A little ways down was a bridge that lead right to Laketown.

"I don't like it," Raina murmured to Bofur. "I can't see very well on wood. I'm going to have to go back to using my walking stick."

They walked down the bridge into Laketown. The people directed them to the Master, who welcomed them grandly once he knew why they were here and about the gold that was promised them.

Raina seemed to be going back to her old self, laughing and joining in the conversation more. There were still moments, though, where she froze up and shrunk into a ball. A few moments later she'd come back out and continue like it hadn't happened.

At the end of the week, they set off with more weapons and supplies.

Getting to the mountain was easy. Finding the secret door was a little harder.

Raina ended up just standing on a rock and reaching out. She eventually found it, and off they went.

Getting the door to open was even harder.

At the beginning of the journey, Fili had filled her in on the key and the door. The keyhole was impossible to find.

They poked and hammered and axed away at the wall, but nothing happened.

Raina sat still, foot against the rock. She could see in, but the keyhole wasn't there.

The sun began to set, and the dwarves became frantic. They were losing their chance!

Raina finally stood up and yelled for silence.

"Something is happening to the wall, and it's hard to concentrate when you keep yelling!"

The dwarves watched the sun set while Raina watched the wall. It was shifting in the center, forming something.

The sun disappeared, and the dwarves slumped in defeat.

Raina, however, bolted up.

"There's something forming, it's going faster than before, right at the center!"

Sure enough, as the moon hit the rock, a keyhole appeared.

Everyone cheered. Thorin stepped forward and inserted the key. Cracks appeared, forming a door. It swung open, and the dwarves slowly filled in, marveling at the stone inside.

Raina was brought to the front, where Thorin described the gem, the Arkenstone, she was to search for.

"It's about this big," he said, pressing a large rock into her hand. "It would be very smooth and feel warm to touch. When you hold it close to your face, you should feel a glow radiating from it."

Raina nodded, saluted the dwarves, and slowly descended the tunnel. She could see for miles, but she focused on what was in front of her.

She finally reached the great hall, and saw miles of gold and jewels in huge piles covering the floor.

At least with the gold and jewels, Raina could see far. She began digging through the piles with her mind. Every once in a while, she would go over to a pile and dig through, only to toss the wannabe Arkenstone.

After hours of searching, she sensed a presence. Something was shifting through the gold and jewels miles away, too far for Raina to see.

She ducked behind a column, waiting and watching, daring only to breath.

A huge creature was shifting through the treasure. It seemed to slither, like a snake.

Then, it came into her line of sight.

Raina nearly cried out. It was fearsome, big, and sharp. That was the only way to describe it. Sharp teeth, sharp talons, sharp tail.

"Hello, little creature," he seemed to purr. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to see you," Raina said quickly, trying not to cringe at the lie.

"See me? See? You cannot see. You are blind. What are you doing here?"

"That's not true!" she shouted, surprising Smaug and herself. "I can see, just not with my eyes! I can feel the vibrations through my feet, and they paint a sort of picture."

"Ah." Smaug looped his way around the column, stopping in front of her. "You still haven't told me what you are doing here."

"I told you, I wanted to see you."

"You have seen me, now I get to eat you. How would you like to be cooked, medium well, or toasted?"

"I wanted to see you so you could tell me something," Raina said in a rush, feeling the heat from Smaug build up. He stopped, tilting his head.

"Tell you what?"

"Tell me about you. What have you seen flying up in the sky? Why did you pick Erebor to stay at?"

Smaug paused, studying Raina.

"Why would I do that?"

"Because I bet you haven't had anyone to talk to in years. That has to be boring. I know, because me being blind makes me shunned by everyone I know. I don't get to talk to people a lot."

Smaug seemed to sigh, and he rested his head down in front of Raina. She sat down as well, back against the column.

"I've been around for a thousand years, and you are the first person to ask me about what I've seen."

And so, he began his tale.

Smaug told her about all the things that looked tiny from the sky. He told her how dragons only sleep for fifty years every thousand years, and how they could feel the sleep coming on a year ahead of time. If a dragon isn't sleeping on treasure before the sleep starts, they die.

"Erebor was the place with all the gold. I needed this place, for now and years to come. The only way to make sure I had it in the years to come, was to get rid of anyone here."

"How old are you?" Raina asked.

"I'm a thousand and fifty in years. My parents were both killed while I was small. I felt the sleep coming on, and this was the place I felt was best."

Raina thought that over.

"If you only needed treasure for fifty years every thousand years, why didn't you just talk to the dwarves? They might have let you sleep on a gold pile and then you could fly away. A thousand years later, you can just come back and sleep."

"How would I know they wouldn't try to kill me while I slept? When you see a dragon flying in, you attack, you don't wait for an explanation."

Raina was silent. Smaug had a really good point. Couldn't the dwarves work something out? Give him their word he would not be killed?

A cry filled the room, and the company burst in, weapons brandished.

"You lied!" Smaug bellowed, growing to his full height. Raina ran as fast as she could away from the flames.

The dragon spread his wings and flew up into the ceiling, circling a few times. Then, Smaug flew away and out to the front doors, smashing through the rocks.

"You alright there, lass?" Bofur asked, helping Raina to her feet.

"You couldn't have waited?" she asked. "You had to run in? I was actually talking to him, hearing his side of the story! He only needed the treasure for fifty years every thousand years. You could have made an agreement, or something! Now who knows where he's going?"

The company shrugged off her comments, leaving Oin to bandage up the burns on her arms and legs.

They began to search. They found many interesting things, precious goblets, jewelry, weapons, even a harp. The dwarves didn't take much interest in that, but Raina let her fingers glide over the strings, listening to the soft notes.

As they searched, though, she felt more and more nervous. Smaug should have come back. Where was he? What was he doing?

Raina was also worried about Thorin. All the dwarves who had lived here before the attack talked about the splendors of the halls and the merrymaking and how wonderful life had been. Thorin, at first, talked about those things, but the more time they spent digging through the treasure, the more he seemed to talk about it.

It wasn't like dreaming of all the things they had dug up in the past, or glorifying the dwarves and their craftsmanship. It was more like obsession.

Raina peeled away from the group, conducting her own search while simultaneously watching Thorin.

He seemed to linger on every piece of gold he picked up, stroking all the jewels.

She remembered something Balin had told her ages ago when Raina asked him why Thorin was so strict about everything, before she had come up with the idea of all the weight that had to be on his shoulders.

"Thorin is worried about catching the gold sickness. He watched his grandfather go crazy over it, and because of it, because of his grandfather's hoarding of gold, Smaug came. Thorin doesn't want to be like that."

The dwarves thought nothing of it, signing it off as normal. But Raina could see the gold sickness.

She stumbled over a rock, falling on a pile of gold. When Raina went to through the rock away, she was startled by how warm it was. She studied it, running her hands over the very smooth body. The Arkenstone!

Raina was about to cry out, run back with her discovery, but she caught sight of Thorin again.

No, she would have to hide it from him.

The harp. They had already searched the area, and they paid no mind to the harp. Raina could hide it there.

••••••••••

Trumpets sounded. Raina sat up, mind foggy from the sleep. She stretched her vision out, and saw a small group of men walking to the mountain.

"People are coming!" she shouted, running to the doors. They had spent hours there putting up a defense wall, with slots to shoot arrows out of.

"Thorin Oakenshield!" a man called. Raina recognized him as Bard, the bargeman who had helped them get to the Master.

"What do you want, bargeman?" Thorin called back. His hand, for some reason, was gripping his bow.

"The dragon Smaug is dead! He attacked Laketown, destroying everything. The people barely made it out alive. We are in need of the gold you promised us when we helped you."

"You'll get no treasure here. It's your own fault for building a town so close to the resting place of a dragon!" The other dwarves cheered in agreement. Raina was shocked. The gold sickness had indeed settled on his mind.

Thorin shot an arrow at Bard, which lodged itself in his shield. "Begone!"

••••••••••

Raina walked through the halls, thinking. What could she do to help the people of Laketown?

She found herself back at the harp, and Raina knew what to do.

She took the watch that night, waiting for the dwarves to fall asleep. Then she sneaked off the the harp, retrieving the Arkenstone. Raina then sneaked back to the doors and slipped out through the hole they hadn't been able to cover up.

Raina ran as fast as she could to the camp the people had set up.

"I need to see Bard!" she exclaimed to the guards. "Please, I don't have much time."

Raina was brought to a tent. Inside, Bard was talking with some other men, maybe officials of the town.

"I have something that could get you leverage with Thorin," she burst out. Raina pulled out the Arkenstone, and smirked as the men practically leapt back.

"Where did you find that?" Bard asked.

"In the mountain. Tomorrow, bring it to the mountain. Thorin will have to give you gold so he can have it back."

"Thank you, little hobbit." Raina turned to leave when another man spoke up.

"Why don't you want it? This rock is a treasure, you would be rich!"

"That's the thing, I already have money. I don't need any more." As Raina walked away, she thought of Lotho. If she did take the Arkenstone, it would guarantee that Lotho would get more money.

She made it back to Erebor in time for the shift change. Raina laid down and began to dread the coming day.

••••••••••

"Thorin Oakenshield!" cried Bard. "We have something that we would like to exchange for gold."

Thorin and the dwarves laughed, until Bard pulled out the Arkenstone.

"WHO GAVE IT TO HIM?" Thorin roared. There was fury beyond fury in his voice.

"I did!" Raina said defiantly. She braced herself for a slap or a punch as he came closer. She didn't expect Thorin to lift her up and pin her against the wall, hand around her neck.

"You filthy treacherous burglar!" he shouted, tightening his grip. Raina felt her head becoming light as the air left her body. Someone shouted, and she was released.

Raina was folded on the ground, coughing. A hand was on her back. She straightened, getting her foot placed, and saw Gandalf standing next to her.

"Come on Raina, we're leaving," he said. Gandalf helped her stand up, guiding her away. Raina kept her face away from the dwarves, but watched them as they walked away. They were reluctantly getting gold to exchange for the Arkenstone, ignoring her completely.

Raina rested at the camp, lightly massaging her neck. She felt that she had done the most horrible thing someone could do. Guilt swelled to a breaking point, causing her to stop eating.

One morning, after breakfast, she felt a rumbling in the ground. Trumpets sounded and Gandalf appeared out of nowhere.

"Get up that tree, quick!"

Raina didn't have enough time to stop and look around. She couldn't see through the wood, she was practically blind.

More trumpets sounded. There were growls and yells echoing through the air. Finally, Raina had had enough. She climbed down the tree, landing on the ground with a soft thump.

Raina gasped. She could see the armies clashing and fighting. It was a horrible sight. There were bodies everywhere. She searched through the chaos. Finally she found the company. Lifting her weapon, she charged.

With every stroke an orc fell. With every step there was fresh blood. Raina pushed her way through, getting closer and closer to her target.

Raina had just reached the company when she saw them. The orcs that were surrounding Thorin, Fili, and Kili. No one else in the company noticed.

She ran to their aid, knocking down each and every enemy. Raina dodged the warg and hit an orc. She ducked and jumped and jabbed and swung.

The battle seemed to be ending. They were gaining more and more ground. Raina turned and saw it. An orc, a bloodthirsty orc coming quickly behind Thorin. His blade was in another's gut, he was utterly defenseless.

With a yell she ran and jumped. The orc's sword did not stop, but it did not hit it's intended target.

Raina did not scream. She did not cry or pray. She simply stood still, wondering how fatal a sword to the gut was. She swayed, suddenly feeling weak. Someone yelled her name. She fell backwards, thankful when she was caught.

Raina winced at every movement, wondering how a wound could hurt so much. Someone called out, shouting about the eagles. Another yelled for Beorn.

Raina felt herself being lifted up, being carried somewhere. At that moment, the pain swelled to something that was too much for her body. With a scream, she slipped into unconsciousness.

••••••••••••

Raina opened her eyes. She was laying on something, a bed, and everything hurt.

"Is anyone there?" she asked.

"Raina! You're awake!" came a voice.

"Who's here?"

"Everyone," said Gandalf.

Raina smiled. She tried not to wince at the pain coming from her gut. Someone took her hand gently.

"Thank you," Thorin said. "Thank you for saving my life. And I'm sorry."

Raina weakly squeezed his hand, letting him know he was forgiven. She looked up, gasping.

"Raina! Do you need a healer? Are you in pain?" someone was saying. She realized that she was crying, almost sobbing.

"No, I, I can see!" She choked out.

Murmurs of confusion sounded through the air. A rough hand touched her head.

"What do you see?" Gandalf asked.

"Colors," Raina said. A wide grin broke out, cutting through the tears. Everyone was quiet, listening to the blind girl.

"I can see the sky, it's calm, smooth. There's water, it's choppy and rough and powerful. The trees, the grass, it's safe. Oh the flowers! They are angry and joyful and enthusiastic and loving and royal. All those details I could never see, I can see them!

"There are birds flying around, they are hope and love and royal. Listen to their songs! It's like nothing I've ever heard before!" The company said nothing, silenced by the glare of Gandalf. Without him, they definitely would have told her they couldn't hear the birds or see what she was seeing. They would have made this moment hard for her, made it painful.

"White! Oh, there's white! It's, it's beautiful. It's pure and holy and open. It's everywhere! It's glowing and shining and moving. Everything is moving, I can see it move. I can see. I can see. I can..."


	2. The Soft Hand

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bilbo and Reader :)

"Help..." weakly escaped your lips. You could hear footsteps coming closer. You could feel the hard ground. Someone was calling your name. For their sake, you bit your cheek to stay awake.

"Y/N! Y/N stay with me. Stay awake! Y/N please!" pleaded a voice. You blinked fast, wanting to obey.

"Shut up, I'm trying to stay awake," you said. Someone weakly chuckled. You were being lifted. you couldn't feel the warmth of the sun. You couldn't feel the dirty fabric.

What was happening?

"Stay with us Y/N. Just a little farther," said a voice. You weakly smiled.

"Beorn! I am Gandalf the Grey. Perhaps you have heard of my cousin Radagast the Brown. We are sorry to bother you, but one of our own is injured. Could you please help?"

The world started to darken. You kept blinking.

"It's getting dark. The darkness won't go away!" you cried. Someone cried out to you. You could feel nothing but the soft hand that held your own. The soft hand that stroked your cheek. The soft hand that promised a new life. The soft hand...

Pain greeted you. You winced as turned your head. Everything hurt. You opened your eyes. You were in a bed. You didn't know whose, only that it was huge. Light was pouring in a window. With a groan you tried to sit up.

"Y/N!" cried a familiar voice. Soft hands grabbed yours. You turned and looked into Bilbo's joyful eyes. You smiled and tried to sit up again.

"Here, let me help," Bilbo said. He gently helped you sit up. Oin peaked his head in and laughed when he saw you up.

"Gave us quite a scare Y/N! Nearly lost you," he said. You tried to remember what had happened, but your brain was fuzzy.

"What happened?" you asked.

"Wargs and goblins attacked. You got cut in the shoulder and bit in the center by a Warg. Luckily we were very close to Beorn's," Bilbo said.

"Beorn?"

"He's a skin changer. Really big man or really big bear. He's given us shelter and food."

"Y/N, I need to take a look at your wounds," Oin said. You stilled as he came closer. He took off your shirt and you were thankful you had an undershirt on. Oin gently unwrapped your shoulder as Bilbo hovered nearby.

Your shoulder had a cut that thankfully didn't run too deep. Oin quickly put ointment on it and wrapped it back up. Then he turned to your middle.

A lifetime couldn't have prepared you for the ugly marks covering your middle. They were inflamed and ran deep. Gently, Oin applied this weird leaf to a cut. Instantly, you felt relief. He did the same to the other cuts before applying ointment and wrapping you back up.

"You stay in bed for the rest of the day, okay?" Oin said. You rolled your eyes.

"I'm not going anywhere. Don't worry," you replied. Oin left, closing the door behind him.

"Y/N, do you need anything?" Bilbo asked. You thought for a moment. You were hungry but first...

"Come here," you said. Bilbo moved closer to you. With your good arm you reached out and grabbed his shoulder. Slowly you led him closer.

"Y/N," he whispered.

"Shh," you replied. Leaning closer, you foreheads were nearly touching.

"Y/N, when you got hurt-" Bilbo started to say, but you cut him off by closing the distance between you. Your lips met his. Gently, he cupped your chin. You moved you arm around him, pulling him closer.

Bilbo carefully broke off the kiss. He stared into you eyes. You stared into his. With a smile, he kissed your cheek and stood up.

"I'll get some food for you," he said. You watched him leave before doing a little victory dance. Maybe being cut and bitten wasn't so bad.


	3. Perfect

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Legolas and Reader :)

You had always been a beautiful elf, and you knew too well how boys fell head over heels when they saw you.

But despite being the girl every guy chased after, you were actually very headstrong. It was rarely you actually played the game of love, and usually it was for favors, not for actual love.

That all changed when you joined the Fellowship.

Being Lord Elrond's oldest daughter, you were invited to the meeting of the Ring. As you sat in your respected seat, waiting for the meeting to start, you couldn't help but notice the 3 blonde elves from King Thranduil's kingdom.

They mostly kept to themselves, not mingling like the others. But there was one who was talking to the man your younger sister was in love with, Aragorn.

He had blue eyes and carried himself in an important manner. He was handsome, definitely, but which of your admirers hadn't been?

Father, Lord Elrond, took his seat, which everyone followed suit. There was a hobbit, a wizard, elves, dwarves, and men present. All that was missing were the orcs. You smiled at the thought of orcs having an intelligent and peaceful meeting with everyone here.

As Father discussed the reasons he had summoned everyone, you saw a figure out of the corner of your eye. Ever so slightly, you turned your head and saw two hobbit peeking out from behind the pillars. They made eye contact with you. You winked and turned back to the meeting.

(A/N: I don't remember the exact scene, so bear with me)

"Give Gondor the ring, we can use it against the enemy," said a man obviously from the city of Gondor.

"The ring has only one master and will not yield to any other," replied Aragorn.

"What does a Ranger know of this?" the man fired back.

"Do you know whom you address?" asked the blonde elf suddenly. He was standing, ready to attack. "This is Aragorn, son of Arathorn, heir to the throne." 

The two must know each other well, for a Ranger does not easily give away his or her identity. You should know, for one had admired you.

"Sit down, Legolas," Aragorn said in Elvish. Legolas. That meant he was King Thranduil's son! You had always thought Legolas was a peculiar name, though.

Reluctantly, Legolas sat. You glanced at Father. His lips were tight.

The meeting dragged on, tensions building until everyone was on their feet, yelling. Father closed his eyes and sat back. The hobbit stayed seated as well, staring uncomfortably at the ring. You watched as he stood up and shouted, "I will take the ring!"

You sat a little straighter. He looked scared and worried, but he still volunteered. He repeated what he had said, but no one seemed to hear. You stood up.

"Hey!" you yelled. Everyone stopped talking, surprised to hear a female voice, no doubt. You turned to the hobbit.

"I will take the ring," he repeated, "but I do not know the way." The wizard seemed sad that he had volunteered.

"I will accompany you, Frodo, until the task is taken out."

"I will go, too," Aragorn said. He knelt in front of Frodo. "You have my sword."

"And my bow." Legolas said, walking over to him.

"And my axe," said the the red haired dwarf. He glanced sullenly up at Legolas for a moment before turning back to Frodo.

"I will also come," the man from Gondor said, though he seemed reluctant. 

You glanced at Father. He nodded once. You stepped forward.

"You have my bow, Frodo." The others looked at each other, questions written on their faces.

Suddenly, a hobbit burst in.

"You can't send Mister Frodo anywhere without me."

"Yes, it seems, even if he was called to a secret meeting," Father replied.

"We're coming, too!" cried a voice. The two hobbits you had seen earlier came running up.

"You need smart people on this mission, quest, thing," said one of them.

"That leaves you out Pippin," replied the other. You smiled.

"Well, you shall be called the Fellowship of the Ring," Father declared. You nodded, grateful for a reason to go on an adventure.

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

"Good luck Y/N," Arwen said, giving you a hug. You were thankful your younger sister had helped you pack, or you would have forgotten something.

"Thank you, sister. I don't know what I'd do without you," you said in Elvish.

She smiled, but then frowned slightly. She walked to the window, gazing out into the courtyard. Aragorn was talking to the wizard, Gandalf.

"You both go off on a dangerous quest, leaving me to worry."

You smiled softly, resting a hand on her shoulder.

"You carry enough worry for us all. The last thing Aragorn or I would want is the come back pale."

Arwen smiled slighlty. "You already are pale, though."

You gave her a small push. A bell rang, signaling the dawn. Arm in arm, you both walked to the entrance of Rivendell. 

You were dessed in simple brown pants and an elbow legth muddy green shirt. Packed away in your pack was a light brown coat and an extra change of clothes.

Slung over your body were your arrows and your bow. There was also a sword in your belt.

Waiting were the hobbits, Gandalf, the man from Gondor, Boromir, the dwarf, Gimli, and Legolas. 

"Leave it to a girl to be late," mumbled Boromir, still sour about us going to Mordor to destroy the ring. Arwen seemed to want to punch him.

"Good luck to you all," Father said. Just before you turned to go, he stopped you.

"Y/N, I wish you all the luck there is. Be sure to come home," he said in Elvish. You gave him a hug, waved to Arwen, and turned to catch up with the others.

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Sitting by the fire, you used your most useful skill, people watching. Gimli stayed far away from Legolas and yourself. Boromir was warming up to the others, but not to you. Gandalf was being Gandalf. Aragorn kept to himself, still in Ranger mode. Frodo and Sam were having a conversation with Boromir. Legolas was sitting by himself, watching the fire.

"Hello!" came a cheery voice. A hobbit sat on either side of you. The one on your left was Merry, on your right was Pippin.

"Well, hello," you replied. 

"Why did you volunteer?" asked Pippin.

"Pippin!" hissed Merry.

"What? That's what we wanted to ask!"

"Well yeah, but in a nicer way!"

As they bickered you looked around for some sort of help. Gandalf was smiling, eyes twinkling. Gimli was looking away. Boromir, Frodo, and Sam were too involved in their conversation. Legolas met your eyes.

He got up and walked over. "Come now, you shouldn't be bothering Y/N." Pippin and Merry looked down, as if ashamed, but they were smiling. Together they went and joined in Boromir, Frodo, and Sam's conversation.

"Do you mind if I join you?" Legolas asked in Elvish. I shook my head. He sat down, not super close like others usually did, but not super far like Gimli or Boromir.

"If you don't mind me asking, why did you come?" he asked softly.

You turned and looked into his blue eyes, trying to find the words to make him understand. 

"I wanted to help Frodo. If you remember, I was the one who called for the silence so Frodo could volunteer. He had looked scared and worried, but he still knew he had to help. I wish I had that type of courage."

Legolas considered this.

"Since we are asking questions, how do you know Aragorn?" you asked, switching back to the normal tongue.

He smiled. "I had been shooting one summer when an injured Ranger stumbled into my firing range. He said, 'Don't shoot,' before collapsing.

"I brought him to the physicians. While looking through his bag for any clues of who he was, I found a journal that said, 'Property of Aragorn, son of Arathorn.' I didn't have any idea who that was until I mentioned it to King Thranduil.

"How do you know Aragorn?" he asked.

"He is in love with my younger sister."

Legolas just stared at you. You laughed.

"Crazy, I know."

The rest of the night, until you turned in, consisted of lighthearted conversation with Legolas. During this time, you felt something growing deep down in you. It was warm and fluttered.

Much later, Boromir was dead(after finally becoming your friend), Frodo and Sam were somewhere in Middle Earth, Gandalf was the White Wizard, and you had Merry and Pippin back.

You were sitting at the edge of the camps the men of Rohan had set up. The edge you had chosen overlooked the whole place.

"Mind if I join you?" came a familiar voice. You smiled and nodded as Legolas sat down beside you.

"What are you thinking of?" he asked. You turned to look at him.

"Truthfully?" you asked. He nodded. You paused for a second. In that second, so much went through your brain.

Feelings you had never had before. Thinking of him more than the others. Not wanting to use your talent for getting men to do what you want in fear of hurting him.

In the end, you decided the best answer would be to just kiss him. He was surprised, but he leaned into it, bringing a had to your cheek.

You let the fluttery, warm, happy feeling bubble inside you. 

This moment, was perfect.


	4. The Hat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bofur and Reader :)

When Erebor was reclaimed, you lept for joy and danced the night away. Now all the dwarves, including you, could go home. Home.

Arriving at the doors, you nearly started crying. If only your parents could gave lived to see this day. This wonderful day. Your thoughts were cut short when someone bumped into you. As you fell, strong arms wrapped around your waist. You never met the ground.

"Whoops! Sorry lass!" the owner of the arms said. You looked up and were met with a smile and a hat. The man helped you stand up and extended his hand.

"I'm Bofur," he said. You took his hand with a smile.

"I'm Y/N. I'm not sure if I should thank you as it's your fault I almost fell." Bofur laughed and walked with you to the Great Hall.

"Are you here with anyone?" he asked. You shook your head and looked down, not wanting to meet his eyes.

"Alright, I am now your official guide. I'll help you get settled in and then give you a grand tour!" You giggled a little, causing him to broaden his smile.

1 year later

You were bent over a jacket, sewing the buttons back on. Ever since you had met Bofur, life had started to look up. You didn't mourn for your parents, but rather accepted their sudden death. You also gained a job as a seamstress. Not many dwarves were as gifted in sewing as you, so you were often busy.

Something suddenly covered your eyes. You smiled as you pushed Bofur's hat out of your eyes.

"Why hello Bofur. What brings you to my workshop?" Bofur pulled up a chair in front of you. Your heart fluttered when you saw that special smile.

"I finished work early. I thought I would surprise you. Are you surprised?"

"Very. What are you going to show me tonight?" Ever since he found out that you liked looking at the night sky, Bofur had been bringing you to the most amazing stargazing spots. They always seemed to be better than the previous night.

"I found this really cool place by my room. I'll come by after supper?"

"Sounds great."

After Supper

You smiled when you heard the tapping on your window. Bofur, for some weird reason, liked to come in through your window. He only did that, though, when he brought you out to stargaze. Every other time he walked through the door like a normal person.

"Alright Bofur, where are we going?" you asked. Bofur simply smiled and led you across balconies before helping you up onto the roof. The he stopped you and said, "Look up."

You gasped. The sky was filled with stars. Constellations you had never seen filled your eyes. Before you could fully enjoy it, you turned to Bofur.

"This has to be the most amazing place yet. Thank you," you said. You leaned in a little closer. He leaned in a little more. You smiled as your lips connected with his.

When you seperated, you turned to the night sky. Bofur stood behind you, arms wrapped around your waist. You quickly took his hat and placed it on your head. He laughed as he rested his head on your shoulder. Together you watched the sky, Bofur stealing kisses as fast as you stole his hat.


	5. Something Bigger

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eowyn and Reader :)

"My queen," you said, bowing. Queen Eowyn curtsied, smiling. You offered her your arm, and you went off to your quarters. The feast had ended, and you were both ready for bed.

The next day you walked around the halls, a seemingly normal day. But it was different in the smiles you received. The feast had been for you and Eowyn, announcing your engagement.

She had to take care of a kingdom, so you rarely saw each other during the day. Sometimes you were able to get lunch into her, and then pull her away from her work at night. But the two of you were happy, and everyone was happy for you both.

A year later you set off for Gondor. King Aragorn and Queen Arwen were celebrating the birth of their first child, a son. All the rulers, and friends, were going to the celebration. 

The first night on the road meant a campfire and the stars. As the two of you watched a shooting star pass over the sky, you whispered memories of first meetings and tiny moments the other might have forgotten. That wasn't true, of course. Neither of you forgot any small moment.

The moment you met, you with an arrow in your stomach and her a newly crowned ruler.

The moment you figured out Eowyn's favorite flower, a daffodil.

The moment you gave her nothing but daffodils for a whole month, and it ended with the smell lingering for another month.

The moment she sent you an invitation for lunch, and she barely ate anything because she was laughing too hard from your little accident with a bowl of soup.

The moment you shared your first kiss.

The moment you had your first fight.

The moment you realized the fight was stupid and made up on the same day.

The moment the court kept staring at the two of you when you shared a dance at a feast, but they clapped when the song was done.

The moment Eomer basically threatened to kill you if you broke his sister's heart, but clapped you on the back and smiled like it hadn't happened.

The moment you celebrated Eowyn's birthday and you gave her a little necklace that was dull compared to the other jewels she had, but she wore it always.

The moment you announced your engagement.

Just those small things, but they meant something bigger.


	6. Tomorrow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kili and Reader :)

You woke up to the sound of crying, again. Groaning, you sat up and went to your baby daughter's room. She was an adorable thing with the loudest voice you had ever heard. Dis said that Kili was the same way.

"Hush now. Sh, it's okay," you said softly. "Don't worry, daddy's coming home tomorrow. Shh, shh."

After some rocking, your daughter fell back asleep. Sighing, you rubbed your eyes and went back to bed. Tomorrow the empty space next to you would be filled. Tomorrow.

"Hey! Girl in the blue dress!" called a voice. You turned and saw a handsome dwarf with black hair. You smiled sweetly at him, only to get a scowl back.

"Can I help you?" you asked.

"That's my sword you're using." You twirled the sword. In truth, you saw the sword laying on the ground, but you weren't going to tell him that.

"No, no I've had this sword for years. I think you're mistaken."

"Come on, I know that's my sword. My uncle gave it to me."

"Well, I know that this is my sword. My father gave it to me before he passed away," you looked down at the ground, pretending that tears were forming.

"You know what, fine, keep the sword. It's only the king you'll be making angry!" he said as he turned and walked away. You looked up and smiled.

You quickly tied a note to the handle and threw it at the dwarf. It lodged itself in the door infront of him. You didn't get to see his reaction as you were hiding behind a tree. You did hear him read the note out loud.

"I found the sword in the hall. You should take better care of your things. My father isn't dead. For some reason, I like you. Don't mess it up. I'm here tomorrow after lunch. And the name is Y/N."

"Y/N. Y/N," echoed through your dream. You opened your eyes and saw the same black haired dwarf from your dream.

"Kili!" you breathed out, sitting up so you could give him a hug.

"Yay! Mommy's up!" your little 3 year old son exclaimed.

"Why don't you go get dressed buddy? Lessons with Balin start soon," Kili said. He nodded and ran off to find clothes.

"How long have you been home?" you asked, snuggling up agaisnt Kili, who was now sitting next to you.

"About 5 minutes. Which is enough time to find your son trying to get to the cookie jar," Kili said.

"Since when is he my son? That sounds like something you would do," you replied, poking his cheek.

"You know, this trip was my last one for a while," Kili said, smiling at you. You straightened and went in for a kiss.

"Waaaah!" came from your daughters room. You groaned a little as you broke off the kiss.

"I'll get junior ready," Kili said, moving off the bed. Smiling, you put on a robe and went to your daughters room. You finally had someone to take care of her at night.


	7. Bliss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thorin and Reader :)

Sighing, you turned towards the King Under the Mountain. His face showed the long days. His body showed all the stress he had gone through. His eyes were the only thing that showed his true emotions. Right now, it was love.

"What time did you get up today?" you asked, guiding him to a chair by the fireplace. "You were gone when I woke up."

"It had to be before dawn," he said sheepishly.

"Thorin," you sighed. Lately, he was getting up earlier, coming home later, barely taking any food. Something was up.

"Don't worry, I-" Thorin started to say before you cut him off.

"No Thorin, you can't say that to me. You're barely eating, not getting enough sleep, and working nonstop. Either you tell me why or I will tie you down to the bed so you will sleep properly."

In your head you realized how wrong that sounded, but you were really worried. The King stared up at you. You were probably the only one, besides his sister, who ever spoke against him.

Finally, he sighed in defeat.

"I've been sorting out things so I can take time off. I wanted to spend more time with you."

"So, a vacation?"

"Yes."

"You should have just told me," you said as you sat down on his lap, wrapping your arms around his neck. He automatically drew his arms around you, pulling you closer.

"I wasn't sure exactly how to."

You took a deep breath. It was now or never.

"I guess I can't stay mad at you, because I've been keeping a secret too." Thorin looked up at you curiously.

"Thorin, I'm pregnant."

His arms went slack as his jaw dropped. You giggled as you closed his mouth for him.

"You're, you're pregnant?"

"That's what I said."

He stood up, holding you bridal style, laughing as he spun you around.

6 years later

"Thena! Thena your father's home!" you called to your five year old daughter. You could hear Thorin coming to the door, his heavy footsteps resounding down the hallway.

"Daddy!" Thena shouted at the exact moment he opened the door. She came flying towards him, her long (Y/C) hair streaming behind her.

"Hello little one!" Thorin said, lifting up the little girl. "How do you always know when I've arrived home?"

Thena, luckily, was facing you, so all you had to do was put a finger to your lips.

"Magic Daddy. You should learn how to use it." With that, she jumped out of his arms and ran out of the room.

You moved away from the wall, smiling. Thorin opened his arms, welcoming you into them. You quickly gave him a kiss before leading him to the dining room.

After dinner, you and Thorin sat down by the fire watching Thena play with her dolls.

"Thena started flute lessons today," you informed. "Played three notes before loosing interest."

"She'll go back tomorrow," Thorin said.

"How do you know?"

"Because I did the exact same thing when I started learning how to play the harp."

You smiled as you stood up.

"Come on Thena! Bed time."

An hour later, you collapsed on your bed, tired from trying to put your hyper daughter to bed. Luckily, Thorin started singing, his deep voice lulling her to sleep.

"Tired already?" Speak of the devil...

"Nope. Just resting my everything." You heard his deep laughter. "Shut up."

"Come now, You have to at least get ready for bed." Thorin picked you up, flinging you over his shoulder as you squealed.

After a bath, you were both in bed. You cuddled up to him, smiling as you remembered what you were going to tell him.

"Hey Thorin?"

"Mmm?" he asked, voice muffled by your hair.

"I think, tomorrow, you're going to be the one telling Thena that she's going to have a younger sister or brother."

You could feel Thorin freeze up.

"Another child?" he asked hesitantly, as though he had heard you wrong.

"Yes."

He started laughing as he kissed you. Smiling, you both held each other a little tighter, wrapped in bliss and life.


	8. Savior of Middle Earth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Original Character :)

"Flora Evangeline!" The booming voice carried to her ears, making her cringe. Today was the day she got her mission.

She walked into the chamber, stopping in front of the chair holding the owner of the voice.

"Flora Evangeline, you know the history of the Shire, correct?"

"Yes."

"Tell me, what happened 200 years ago?"

"A hobbit by the name of Bilbo Baggins turned down the offer to go with Thorin Oakenshield and his company of dwarves to the Lonely Mountain to retrieve the Arkenstone. With the stone, Thorin could gather an army and kill the dragon."

"What was the outcome of that?"

"Thorin Oakenshield and his company were killed before they reached the mountain. The dragon Smaug grew in power and attacked all of Middle Earth, eventually arriving to the Shire. He destroyed the land beyond use and killed many hobbits."

"And now, 200 years later, us hobbit are still alive, but barely, living on the weak soil. The council has decided to change our history."

Flora looked up in confusion at the old hobbit. He was completely serious, waving a hand to the guard who was standing nearby. The guard brought a small box over to her.

She opened it, finding a bracelet and a dagger. They were both engraved with an hour glass.

"You, Flora Evangeline, have been training your whole life. Today, you will put your skills to the test.

"When you put on the bracelet, you will be sent back to the time of Bilbo Baggins, a year before the dwarves come. History will be changed slightly, so that you will be seen as a cousin of his who just lost her parents. He will take you in, and you must convince him to go on the quest.

"Once he has gone, you will take the bracelet and crush it. It will send you back, and hopefully, the Shire will be changed."

"I will do my best, sir."

Flora tucked the dagger into her belt, hiding it amongst the folds in her dress, and slid on the bracelet.

••••••••••

Flora opened her eyes. She was standing in front of a green door, a bag in hand. There were green hills and flowers all around. It was a beautiful place.

The door opened, and a hobbit with golden hair and a book in hand stood before her.

"Flora!" he exclaimed, wrapping her in a hug.

"Bilbo," she breathed, hugging him back. She had made it.

Over the year, the two of them grew very close. Flora helped Bilbo in his garden, relishing in the feel of the soft dirt. Everything was so perfect, she nearly forgot why she was there.

One night, the bell rang. Bilbo went to change out of his pjs, for some reason, while Flora answered the door.

A huge dwarf stood before her. He was tattooed and had way to many weapons for her liking.

"Dwalin, at your service," he said gruffly. Flora was speechless, before remembering her manners.

"Flora, at yours."

Dwalin marched in, dumping some of his weapons by the door. She stared at the pile, trying to remember something important.

"Got any food, lass?" Dwalin called from the kitchen.

"Yes, sorry." Flora rushed in, pulling some meat out of the pantry. She was going to heat it up, but he began eating it cold, so she just backed away.

Bilbo came back, staring at the dwarf.

"Is there something you didn't tell me?" Flora asked, arms crossed.

"Yes, a wizard by the name of Gandalf came by this morning. He told me that dwarves were stopping by tonight. I didn't believe him, but here's one in my kitchen!" Bilbo explained, still staring.

"Well, did he say how many were coming?"

"13, why?"

"If all dwarves are as hungry as this one, we're going to have our hands full."

Flora bustled around the kitchen, bringing drinks to all the dwarves that kept arriving. Bilbo greeted them, talking a little angrily with the wizard Gandalf when he appeared. 

The history came flooding back to her as she served the dwarves. Gandalf was captured by some force after the dwarves died.

Now that she was meeting the company, Flora felt nothing but pity. If she couldn't convince Bilbo to go along, they would all die.

"Please, don't do that to the knives, you'll blunt them!" Bilbo cried. Flora snapped back to the present, realizing some of the dwarves were rubbing the forks and knives together.

"You hear that lads? He says we'll blunt the knives," the dwarf with the funny hat said.

Suddenly the dwarves were singing.

Blunt the knives, bend the forks

Smash the bottles and burn the corks

Chip the glasses and crack the plates

That's what Bilbo Baggins hates!

Flora laughed, watching the dwarves throw Bilbo's dishes around. She grabbed his arm, spinning around. He warmed up, smiling a little. He clapped along while she twirled and danced. The beat was similar to one of the folk songs, so she just danced that.

Everyone was laughing. She slowed down so Bilbo could dance along. He wasn't really a dancer, but it was still fun.

The song finished, and everyone clapped, laughing.

Then, the bell rang.

Everyone was silent, staring at the door. Gandalf muttered something.

Bilbo went to the door, swallowed, then opened it. A tall dwarf with black hair stood on the other side. He walked right in, saying, "Gandalf, you said this place would be easy to find. I got lost, twice."

"Bilbo Baggins, Flora, I would like to introduce you to the leader of our company, Thorin Oakenshield," Gandalf said.

"So, this is the hobbit," he said, circling Bilbo. Flora crossed her arms, scowling. She was ignored, again.

"Tell me, what is your preferred weapon?"

"What?" Flora grimaced, watching the exchange. Bilbo was not making a very good first impression.

"Axe or sword?"

"Well, I fairly good at conkors, if that's what you mean."

Thorin scoffed. "He looks more like grocer than a burglar."

Most of the dwarves chuckled. They moved to the table, sitting down.

"Lass, could you get me some food?" Thorin asked. Despite having just insulted someone, he was oddly polite.

Flora quickly made some soup and gave him a mug of ale. She stood back with Bilbo, still mad that they hadn't asked her about her weapon of choice.

The dwarves talked about armies of different dwarves, plans to get into the mountain, a key with a riddle, and a secret door. Flora found all of this a bit too magical.

In the end, though, Bilbo turned down the offer of becoming the burglar. Flora didn't know what she could possibly say to make him go.

Then, she remembered a dwarvish song she had heard years ago, or rather, years into the future, when she had been thinking of quitting her training. The song inspired her, and she knew that the origin was from a little after the dragon had first attacked.

She began humming it, not quite remembering the words. Every dwarf turned and stared at her.

"Where did you learn that?" the blonde dwarf asked.

"Um, I heard a dwarf singing it a while back, but I don't remember the words." Part of that was true. She heard a dwarf singing it, but it was actually still to come.

The dwarves were silent for a while, before they began singing.

Far over the Misty Mountains cold

To dungeons deep, and caverns old

We must away, ere break of day

To find our long forgotten gold

The song was like a death march, slow and deep, but the words were powerful.

The next morning, Flora made breakfast for the dwarves. She went to Bilbo's room and woke him up.

"You're going aren't you?" she asked.

"Yes, I suppose I am," Bilbo mumbled, slowly sitting up.

"Well, you had better hurry, because they are leaving soon!"

He was suddenly alert, dashing around his room. Flora left. Seconds later, he burst out clothed, the signed contract in hand. He ate breakfast and soon, everyone was gone.

Flora quickly moved around Bag End, packing herself what little food was left and tucking her dagger into the belt. She'll be damned if she let that company leave without her.

Flora was swift, keeping up with the ponies for weeks. She stayed close to the camp, always waking up at sunrise so she wouldn't miss them.

One night, Flora crept closer to the camp then she normally did, trying to listen to Balin's story of the battle between Thorin and Azog.

When it was done, she turned, nearly walking straight into the blade of an axe. Flora ducked, pulling out her dagger, and the fight began. Her opponent had a larger blade, but she was swift.

In the end, however, someone grabbed her from behind, pulling her into the camp.

"Let me go!" Flora squirmed. Bilbo was at his feet in an instant.

"Flora Evangeline, what are you doing here?" he asked. She didn't meet his eyes, staring at the ground.

"Flora," Gandalf said sternly.

"If you thought I was going to let you go off on an adventure and leave me behind, well, you're terribly wrong."

Thorin, Bilbo, Gandalf, and a few other dwarves went over to the side to talk. Flora had managed to get her dagger back from Kili, who had been the one who grabbed her. She was currently twirling it around.

"Where on earth did you learn to fight like that?" Kili asked.

"You nearly bested Dwalin, and he's the best, maybe even better than Thorin!" Fili exclaimed.

Flora looked down, going with the story she had rehearsed many times.

"My parents were killed in our home by a thief. I was there, and he knocked me out with the handle of his sword. He dropped this dagger, and I've trained myself to use it, so if I do find him, I can kill him, or badly injure, I'm not sure which."

Bilbo and the others came back.

"We could always use another fighter," Thorin said. "You can come with."

Flora did a victory dance in her head. This was going to be much more fun than simply sitting around.

••••••••••

Flora struggled in her sack, wishing she had her dagger. Sadly, the trolls had taken it, along with everyone else's.

She watched half of the company spin around and around on the spit, yelling profanities at the trolls. She remembered this part of history. The trolls ate half the company before Gandalf came back and turned the trolls to stone.

Well, that wouldn't happen if Flora had anything to do with it.

While Flora was creating a plan, however, Bilbo suddenly stood up, which was no easy feat. She watched him curiously.

"No, stop! You're cooking them wrong!" he called to the trolls. The dwarves aimed they're insults at him now, but Flora could see what he was doing.

"Oh? An' wha' are we doin' wrong?" asked one of them.

"The secret to cooking dwarf is, to, to skin them first."

Flora would've hit her face with her hand if they weren't in the sack. Bilbo cringed a little at his own words and the dwarves began yelling even louder.

"Nonsense! I've ea'en plen'y of dwarves skin an' all!" one of the exclaimed, picking up Bombur and holding him above his mouth, ready to eat.

"Don't eat that one!" Bilbo shouted. "He's got worms in his, tubes!"

The troll dropped him in disgust while the dwarves continued with their insults.

Flora looked back and glared at the dwarves. Thorin did something and all of the dwarves went silent. Then they started shouting new things.

"I've got the most worms!"

"I'm practically made of worms!"

"I've got worms as long as my arm!"

Gandalf appeared, cracking a stone in half, letting the sunlight flood the area. The trolls turned to stone.

Flora was amazed. One hobbit made the difference of half the company walking away from the encounter or not.

••••••••••

After a small encounter with a wizard and some wargs and orcs, Flora found herself in a place that had burned to the ground 200 years before she had gotten her mission.

Rivendell.

It was more beautiful then the books had said. They were greeted by Lord Elrond, a very famous elf. He fought against Sauron hundreds of years ago.

Flora walked the gardens with Bilbo after dinner. They played a little game where they had to guess the flower name faster than the other. When they retired that night, she was in the lead by one point.

The next day the company left for the mountain. It started raining, making the rock slippery. Flora and Bilbo struggled the most, having no traction like the dwarves did.

Suddenly, the rocks around them started moving. Rock giants threw boulders at each other, making the thunder seem like kitten meows.

Suddenly, the rock beneath their feet began to move. Half of the company, including Bilbo, began to move away, caught standing on the legs of a giant.

It fell against the mountain, the half of the company seemingly gone. Flora felt tears rushing down her face. She had lost him. She had lost the one person she had felt especially close to.

Then, the rest of the giant fell away. The company stood on a ledge, perfectly fine and uncrushed.

Flora was about to laugh with relief, until she heard some shout, "Bilbo!"

Bilbo was hanging off the cliff, fear clearly written on his face.

"Bilbo! Grab my hand!" Flora shouted, reaching down as far as she could, but it wasn't enough.

Thorin jumped down on a ledge, grabbed Bilbo, and hauled him up. Flora wanted to hug him, but now was not the time.

They found a cave and took shelter. Bofur came over to them.

"We nearly lost our burglar there," he said, clapping Bilbo on the shoulder.

"He's been lost since we left," Thorin said gruffly. "We shouldn't have brought him with."

Flora just about charged at their leader, only prevented by Kili and Fili holding her back.

That night, after everyone was asleep, Flora was woken up by Bilbo.

"Come on, we're leaving," he whispered, rolling up his mat.

"What, why?"

"We don't belong here. We shouldn't have come, you especially."

"Why? Just because Thorin said something we are leaving? You saved all of our lives from the trolls back there!"

"That's not the point! We are leaving and that is that!"

"You can't make me, you're not my father!" 

The second those words left Flora's lips, she regretted them. Bilbo's face fell slightly before becoming expressionless. She looked away, staring at the ground. It was then she noticed the lines appearing in the ground.

"What the heck?"

The floor collapsed and down they all fell.

Flora landed on her back, feeling the air leave her. She gasped for breath, struggling to her feet. Goblins came crawling from the walls, dragging them across the the bridge.

They stood before a huge goblin, bigger then the trolls.

"Who are you, and what were you doing on our doorstep?"

No one said anything.

"Hmm, perhaps we can force the truth out of you. Let's start with the youngest." 

A goblin pushed Flora to the ground, it's hand digging into her side.

"Stop! We are merchants," Thorin said. "We found shelter in the cave during the storm. We had no idea we were on your doorstep."

Flora scrambled to her feet, backing away from the goblin.

"Run!" shouted a voice. Everyone looked up to see a gray figure holding a staff. The company surged forward, slicing through the goblins.

Gandalf did something that set the goblins a little behind. They ran and ran, killing any goblins that came in their path.

Flora ignored the pain in her side. She knew she had to have a bruise there, probably in the shape of the goblin's hand. That would be an interesting story to tell.

Eventually they reached sunlight, still running. They ran away from the mountain, putting a distance behind them before stopping.

Oin began checking for any injuries while they caught their breath.

Flora pressed her hand to her side, trying to suppress the pain. Instead she felt even more pain, and something wet. She felt weak as she pulled her hand away, staring down at her now red covered hand.

"Oin," she mumbled, falling backwards. Someone caught her, gently laying her on the ground.

"Flora, stay with us," Bofur said.

"Bilbo," she mumbled.

The company was silent for some reason. Flora looked up, waiting for the familiar face to appear.

After what felt like forever, she heard, "I'm coming!"

Bilbo appeared next to her. He grabbed Her hand, squeezing it reassuringly.

"Bilbo, you have, stay," Flora got out.

"I'm not going anywhere."

"No, stay with the, company. You, are the one, who saves, Middle Earth."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm from, 200 years, in the, future. You didn't go, with the, dwarves. Half died, eaten by, trolls. Others, died by, Smaug. Smaug, in turn, flew over, Middle Earth. He killed, almost everyone. He went to, the Shire. The land, all the grass, and flowers, and crops, are gone. Hobbits barely, survived. They sent me, back. I had to, get you, on the quest. You would save us."

"Why me?"

"We, don't know. You are special. But you, must continue. Don't, leave."

Flora weakly held up her hand. Her bracelet was still there.

"Take bracelet. Smash the, beads. It will, send me, back. If you manage, to save, Middle Earth, this will, never have, happened, to me. I will, never have, been injured."

Fili took the bracelet off Flora's wrist. He began to smash the beads.

"Will I remember you? At all?" Bilbo asked.

"No." Flora brushed some of his tears away.

"You are like the daughter I never had," he said.

"You are like my father," she replied. Bilbo kissed her forehead, and the world went black.

••••••••••

Flora opened her eyes. She was sitting in a flower filled garden. Little hobbits ran around her, laughing. She remembered everything that had happened, Bilbo, the company. Had she died?

"Grandpa!" cried some of the hobbits. The old man, the one who had sent Flora back, walked slowly into the garden from the big round door.

"Tell us a story!"

The old man sat down on the bench.

"Please? Please, please, please-"

"Alright!" the man interrupted. "I'll let Flora decide."

Flora looked into his eyes. He smiled, and Flora knew that he knew about her time travel.

"I don't know, Grandpa Sam. Why don't you pick?"

The little hobbit began talking all at once. But one voice stood out.

"Grandpa Gamgee, tell us about Bilbo!"

"Alright. I'll tell you about Bilbo Baggins and his company of dwarves, and how he saved all of Middle Earth."

Flora smiled a smile bigger than she thought possible, and made herself comfortable for the story of Bilbo, her father for a year, the savior of Middle Earth.


	9. Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fili and Reader :)

You stretched, trying to wake up your body. You had stayed up WAY too late last night drawing, and this was your consequence.

"Y/N! You and your sister have to go to the market today! Hurry up and get ready!" called your mom.

You walked to your wardrobe and opened it, looking at your choices. You had narrowed it down to either robin egg blue with a dark green sash or warm brown with a light green sash when Lily, your sister, walked in. She was wearing an apple red dress with a muted orange sash. Her white apron was already tied around her waist.

"Hurry up! I've already bathed and eaten." You held up the two dresses. "Blue and green. Now come on!"

You stopped her and quickly grabbed your writing notebook. It was dark brown with a rose etched into the cover that fit in all of your pockets.

You have forgotten that I bathed last night. So HA!

Lily stuck out her tongue before she left. You changed, grabing your apron. You almost walked out of your room before you remembered your writing pad. As you grabbed it, you caught sight of your drawings.

Realistic flowers and random objects filled the papers. You gathered them together, tucking them in one of your desk drawers. Opening another, you pulled out another notebook. This one was the same brown as your writing notebook, but it had no etching in the front. This notebook-which would be used for drawing-was tucked in your sash. All your sashes had secret pockets for this notebook.

"Y/N! Hurry up!" called your mom.

You, with your writing notebook and apron, dashed out the room and down the stairs to the kitchen.

"Catch!" said Lily, tossing you an apple. You caught it, tucking it under your arm. You handed your apron to your mom, turning around.

"There you go," she said, tying the apron around your waist. Then she turned and grabbed a basket while you tucked your writing notebook in your pocket. "Basket, money, list, you are good to go!"

"Come on Y/N, we have 20 minutes of walking!" Lily exclaimed, heading towards the door.

"Don't let those kids say anything about you," your mom said. "You are amazing and wonderful. Good luck!" She kissed your head before you turned and ran out the door.

Lily was already at the gate, waiting. At 30(about 15(dwarves age differently(I CAN DO WHAT I WANT!))) she was already as headstrong as your dad. He worked in the forges from dawn to a little after noon.

You were 34(about 17) and you were always told you were as beautiful as a rose. That is, you were told by those who didn't tease and insult you.

As you neared the market, you saw a group of kids, all around you and Lily's age, hanging out by the side of the road. Lily glanced sideways at you, concerned.

"Hey look! It's Freak!" one of the boys shouted. His name was Trel, and he was the leader of the four guys.

"Hey Freak! What's going on?" called Nida, leader of the four girls.

You and Lily kept walking, avoiding eye contact. Unfortunately, they had other plans.

"Freak, you aren't going to be friendly today?" asked one of the boys as the group stepped onto the path, blocking your way.

"Excuse us," Lily said, trying to edge around them.

"What're you going to do Freak?" asked a girl. A boy pushed you, causing you to fall to the ground.

"Leave her alone!" shouted Lily. She tried to help, but was held back. You both made eye contact. This was going further than usual.

"Why don't you let her speak for herself? Oh wait, she can't!" sneered Nida.

"What're you gonna do Freak, call out for help?" asked Trel. He roughly pulled you to your feet before punching you in the gut. You doubled over as the others laughed.

"Y/N! Leave her be!" Lily cried out, desperately struggling against her captor.

"Come on Freak, call out. Say something!" said a girl. Trel forced you to your feet and punched you in the face. You cupped your cheek, wanting to call out. Wishing you had a voice so none of this would be happening.

"Maybe she'd say something if we hit her sister?" Nida snickered. A boy held your down as Trel turned to your sister.

"Let me go!" Lily shouted, struggling. Your mouth formed words, but nothing was heard.

"Trying to say something Freak?" asked a girl. Trel pulled his fist back, but was stopped by a voice.

"Hey! What's going on?"

Everyone turned and saw two boys walking towards them. The one who had called out was blonde and quite handsome. The other, most likely his brother, had black hair. They both looked around you and Lily's age, and were well built.

"Nothing you need to be worried about," sneered Trel.

"Two girls being held down does look like something to be worried about, especially since they both look scared to death," the blonde replied. He glanced at you, and you gave a small smile to show you were okay.

"This is none of your business. Leave," retorted Nida.

"No," said the black haired one.

"Who do you think you are?" asked Trel.

"Fili," said the blonde.

"And Kili," said that black hair one.

"Nephews of the King Under the Mountain," was said at the same time. The others froze as you and Lily looked at each other.

"I suggest you let those girls go before this gets ugly," said Fili.

The others let you and Lily go as they ran off.

"Don't expect a hero everytime Freak!" Nida shouted over her shoulder.

"Are you okay?" Fili asked, helping you to your feet. You smiled and nodded.

"Your cheek is red," Lily said. You frowned, wincing at the pain. She turned to the brothers. "Thank you so much. It usually doesn't go that far."

"How often do they corner you?" asked Kili.

"Everyday. But they usually just throw insults and let us be on our way."

"What are they insulting, if you don't mind me asking. You are both beautiful," said Fili. You blushed, as he was looking right at you when he said it. You pointed at yourself.

"You?" asked Kili. You nodded.

"Y/N can't talk. She was born with damaged vocal chords," Lily explained. The brothers looked at you, wide eyed.

"That's no reason to insult you," Fili said. You looked down at the ground, blushing.

"If you would excuse us, we have to go to the market," Lily said.

"Let us walk with you," Kili said with a smile. "We are going there, too."

Kili walked beside Lily while Fili walked beside you.

"How do you communicate with others?" he asked. You pulled out your writing notebook.

"Random question, what's your favorite color?"

Blue. But yellow is close second. Yours?

"Probably green.(AN: I am making all of this up. Don't take any of it seriously!) Favorite flower?"

You pointed to the cover.

"Chrysanthemum?" you smiled, ignoring the pain, and shook your head.

Rose silly.

"I knew that. Favorite food?"

Cream puffs. These are weird questions. Going to leave blue and yellow roses and a plate of cream puffs on my doorstep?

Fili laughed. "No, I'm just curious."

The market came into view, and Lily marched you straight to the apothecary, Fili and Kili waiting outside.

The woman rubbed some really cold paste on your cheek, washed it off with colder water, and made you drink bad tasting tea. Lily payed her and tugged you outside.

"Your cheek doesn't look as red anymore," Fili noted. The rest of the morning, the brothers followed you and Lily around, helping with the list and trying to make you two laugh. You laughed at everything, while Lily had a little more self control. Kili has his work cut out for him.

Secretly, you hated the way you laughed. Everyone let a beautiful sound flow from their bodies while you just stood there, body shaking, no sound coming out. Although, every once in a while, someone would laugh so hard, they just shook, no sound heard. It was those moments that made you really feel like an equal person.

At one point, the brothers slipped off and completed their own task, but they came back with nothing in their arms.

The sun was almost at it's peak when you and Lily started walking home, Fili and Kili in tow.

As you neared your house, Fili told you a secret. "I wasn't going to the Market. Kili and I were just taking a walk." You smiled and shook your head, as if to say, "I can't believe you would do that."

Stopping in front of your gate, you turned to Fili.

Thank you again for earlier. And thank you for keeping Lily and I company in the Market.

"Don't mention it. Oh! Before I forget..." Fili reached into his pocket and pulled out a blue rose. "I couldn't find a yellow one, or cream puffs."

You stood on your toes and kissed him on the cheek. You saw him blush as you turned and walked to your door. Looking back, you and Lily waved to the brothers before opening the door and disappearing through it.

You both leaned against the door. Lily tilted an orange marigold, her favorite flower, towards you. You showed her your rose.

"Who knew today would happen?" she said.

Agreed.

1 week lata.

You were sitting in a field close to your house. It was always beautiful in the summer. Flowers of every kind spread in the valley while soft grass inhabited the hill. A small lake with a waterfall stood behind you, keeping the air around you cool as you drew what you saw.

"Good place to spend lazy days," remarked someone behind you. You snapped you book shut, shoving it in your sash as you whirled around, afraid it was Trel or Nida.

Fili stepped out from the trees, smiling a little. You returned it as you pulled out your writing notebook.

Hello. May I inquire what brings you here on such a fine summer day?

"I was just exploring." You rolled your eyes. "Okay okay! I asked Lily."

Well, welcome to my lovely little hiding spot.

"It is lovely. What were you doing before I showed up?"

Nothing, just admiring the view.

"No, you were doing something with a notebook. Not that one, a different one."

This is the only one I have. Are you dehydrated? You reached a hand to his forehead, as if feeling for a temperature.

"No it was something else. It looked like you were drawing or writing."

You sighed and pulled out your drawing notebook, handing it to him. He flipped to the almost-done picture of a tiger lily.

"This is really good! You should draw me."

No, I only do objects.

"Come on. Please? Please please please please please-" You shoved a hand over his mouth to shush him.

Fine, but you can't move or make me mess up.

While you drew him, he told you stories about his younger years. You would occasionaly pick up your writing notebook to tell your own story or reply to a question.

After half an hour, you showed him the final results. He was speechless, mouth open to the ground.

You can keep it. Give it to your mom or your uncle for when he travels.

"Thank you. This is the most amazing thing I've ever gotten." Fili leaned in and gave you a kiss on the cheek, causing you to blush.

For the rest of the summer Fili visited you in the field. The warm weather eventually vanished, bringing the cool fall.

You were taking a walk in the brisk air when Fili came into sight. He was carrying a basket.

"Come on, I'm taking you on a picnic before it gets really cold."

He dragged you into the forest until you came to a clearing. It was really small, but the trees surrounding it gave a beautiful canopy of reds, yellows, and oranges.

Wow. This is beautiful!

"I found it by accident and thought it would be a good place for a picnic. Come on."

You enjoyed the afternoon in that clearing, eating the delicious food Fili had brought and laughing. The setting sun brought you drawing with you head in his lap while he played with your hair.

You hadn't even noticed you had fallen asleep until you heard your name being called.

"Y/N. Y/N, we're at you house. Wake up."

You opened your eyes and found yourself in Fili's arms. He gently set you on your feet.

Thank you so much. I had fun.

"You're welcome. I had fun too."

Before you could miss your chance, you stood on your toes and kissed him. He kissed you back, which sent shivers down your spine. You broke it off, smiled, waved, and walked through the door.

You sighed as you leaned against the door. There was no way you could put this feeling on paper,

The winter came, bringing a relationship that could never be matched. Fili was the perfect match for you. He waited for you to finish writing whatever you were going to say before continuing talking. He acted like a gentleman and was a jokester at the same time.

Lily and Kili also moved forward in their relationship, and were always joking around.

Then something totally unexpected happened.

You were taking a walk by yourself, enjoying the winter air when you saw them. Trel, Nida, the whole group swaggering towards you. You kept your head down and kept moving.

"Hey look! It's Freak!"

"Hey Freak! Where's your hero?"

"What, not going to say anything to us?"

You cringed but kept walking. Unfortunately, Nida stood in front of you, the whole group making a circle around you. You tried to push past, but a boy pushed you to the ground.

"Freak, aren't you going to say something?"

"Wait, you can't! Can you Freak?"

You stood up and tried pushing past. Trel pushed you, and you snapped. You drew your fist back and punched him in the face. You mouthed the words, "Leave me alone!" but nothing was heard.

"Bitch!" he shouted, punching you in the gut. You crumpled to the ground. You looked up in time to see Nida foot coming towards your face.

WHAM!

You held your nose, feeling warmth trickling into your hand. You looked down and saw blood. A lot of blood.

"What's the deal with your hero? You spread your legs and he makes you feel normal?" spat Nida.

You stood up, trying to get away, only to feel someone's fist hit your gut. You collapsed.

"Go to hell Freak!" sneered a girl, kicking your back.

"Bitch!"

"Whore!"

"Freak!"

With every word, a boot hit your back, leg, gut. You tried to stand up again.

"We're not done with you Freak!" A girl kicked you in the leg. Pain shot through your shin as you heard a CRACK!

You collapsed, tears mixing with the blood. The group bent down and picked you up as you screamed silently at the pain. They tossed you into a snow bank, laughing as they left.

You moved slowly, crawling, dragging your legs behind you. By the time you were out of the snow, you were soaked with sweat and shivering.

You tried to crawl, you tried to call out for help, but you couldn't. You eventually gave up, praying to any god that would listen for help to come.

The sun started to sink as you curled up in a ball, tying to save your body's heat. You closed your eyes, and let the darkness take you.

"Y/N! Oh my god, Y/N! Fili! I found her! Oh no, Y/N wake up please!"

"Y/N! Oh my god, no. Y/N."

"She's still alive, we have to get her home."

You opened your eyes. The sky was black, the stars were out, but the moon was hidden. Someone was holding a lantern above you. You felt yourself being lifted up gently.

"Y/N, I know this is going to be hard, but you need to stay awake," Fili said. Kili walked beside him, holding the lantern.

"Just listen to my voice, okay? You need to stay awake."

You blinked furiously. After a while, you saw more lights.

"You found her! Quick, inside. Kili, can you go and get a healer? Oh Y/N," said Lily. She led Fili inside and up to your room, who layed you on your bed.

You blinked, but felt the darkness coming again.

"Y/N, Y/N you have to stay awake. Y/N, Y/N...Y/N..." the voice drifted away, leaving you alone and scared.

"Hello?" you called, knowing then you were dreaming.

"Hello child," said a woman. She appeared in front of you, an kind old woman, smiling gently.

"Where am I?"

"Nowhere, and everywhere child."

"Who are you?"

"I am the goddess Dena."

"What are you doing here?"

"I am answering your prayer for help. Mahal, my husband, and I agree your suffering has gone on far to long. When you wake up, you shall have a lovely surprise. But for now, sleep."

The goddess faded away, and you slept soundly for a long time.

Your eyes fluttered open. You were in your bed and everything hurt. Someone was holding your hand. You turned and saw Fili asleep, head down on your bed. To your left, Lily was reading.

You gently shook Fili. He opened his eyes as he sat up. His hair was messed up on one side while the other was smooth. The sight made you giggle, a real, actual sound escaped your mouth. You froze. Lily looked up, shocked. Fili was suddenly wide awake.

"Did you just..." Fili asked.

"Mom! Dad! Come here!" Lily shouted. They were at the door within seconds.

"What? What happened?" your mom asked frantically.

"Y/N, she made a sound. She giggled," Lily said, still staring at you.

As everyone's eyes were on you, you were suddenly at a loss for what to say. You didn't want to waste your first words on something dumb.

So you took a deep breath and sang a song you had heard Fili sing before.

"When you're in love, really in love, you simply let your heart decide it."(7 Brides for 7 Brothers. When You're in Love)

Your mom gasped and started crying. You dad laughed, hugging your mom. Lily ran to your side, giving you a hug. When she released you, you turned to Fili and gave him a kiss.

"Thank you for everything," you said. He smiled.

"You're welcome."

You found out that you had a broken nose, black eye, cracked rib, and a broken foot, among other bruises. You were bedridden for 2 weeks, unable to move around. The only upside was the fact that you could talk, laugh, sing, shout, whisper, things you never could before.

All the while you waited to get your revenge on Trel, Nida, and the others. Lily disagreed with anything violent and was worried about what you'd do. Fili, on the other hand, fueled your revenge fire.

Finally, your leg healed enough for you to get up and move around. With this freedom, you insisted on taking a walk.

"Don't make Fili start anything," Lily said as she helped you into your winter clothes. You only wanted to walk with Fili, just in case they wanted to try and hurt you again.

You put your hand in your pocket, feeling the notebook you used to write in.

"I won't. Hey, stop worrying. If anything happens, Fili will be there. I've also got my voice."

Lily smiled a little bit as a knock sounded from the door.

"Good luck. And don't do anything too stupid!" Lily called as you left.

"Ready?" Fili asked. You nodded.

"Okay, here's the plan, we're going to pretend that I don't have a voice until we see them. So I will answer anything with this," you said, holding up your notebook.

"I still can't get over the fact that your voice is so beautiful." You blushed and gave him a quick kiss.

Hand in hand, you walked. You still limped a little bit, but other then that, you were fine. Fili kept trying to make you laugh which almost blew your cover, as now sound came out when you laughed.

After 10 minutes, you spotted the group. Your smile disappeared. Fili noticed that you were no longer laughing and followed your eyes. He gently sqeezed your hand to show that he was there.

"Hey look! It's Freak and her hero!"

"Come back for more Freak?"

You kept your head high, a smile almost forming.

"Hey Hero? Does she spread your legs and you treat her normal?" asked Trel. Fili took a step towards him, only to be stopped by you. You smiled slightly at him, winking.

With all the courage you could muster, you stepped forward. You took a deep breath.

"I should have you know that I am not a freak, and I always had a voice. It's just that in all these years, you never had the ears to listen. So I guess that makes you the freak."

Their jaws dropped to the ground. You smiled sweetly.

"I am not a whore and I'm not a bitch. I hope you treat others with respect in the future." You grabbed Fili's hand and turned to go.

"Oh, and one more thing," you sang. You flipped the bird and walked off.

20 years later...

You sighed as you gazed up at the moon. Fili had asked you to marry him right before he left on his quest to take back Erebor. You had said yes, deciding to wait until after he came back, or you came to him, to get married.

A year later, word was sent that Erebor was reclaimed, the dragon gone. You cheered with the others and cried tears of joy when you saw that Fili had not died in the Battle of Five Armies. Neither had Kili or Thorin.

"Hello my love," Fili whispered, wrapping his arms around your waist. It was your wedding night, and your wedding had been the first in the halls of Erebor since the dragon was killed.

"Could you sing the song you sang all those years ago, before I could talk?" you asked, still looking at the moon.

"When you're in love, when you're in love, there is no way on earth to hide it. When you're in love, really in love, you simply let your heart decide it.

"With every sigh, with every glance, with every heartbeat you can find it.

"You'll want the world to know it too. When you're in love as I'm in love with you.

"How can you tell what's in it's spell? How can you know unless you've tried it?

"Wait for that peace you're certain of, and let your heart decide when you're in love."

You turned and wrapped your arms around Fili.

"I love you," you whispered, kissing him.

"I love you, too."


	10. Stolen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bofur and Reader :)

Bofur's hat seemed to be attached to his head. You noticed this when the company came stomping into your house, raiding your pantry. At least Bofur was a little polite about it, saying thank you.

Fili and Kili warmed up to you right away, becoming like brothers.

"Stop trying to step on my toes!" you shouted at them through your giggles. Being so bored that night, they made a game of trying to step on your ever shoeless toes.

Thankfully, you had quick reflexes. You jumped back or to the side, doing anything to avoid them.

Eventually, you started running around the other members of the company, laughing when the brothers would accidentally slam their boot down on someone elses foot. Everyone was game, though, shaking off the quick prick of pain and laughing along.

"Bofur! Hold her down!" Kili called as you jumped back.

Arms were suddenly around you, holding you in that spot.

"Bofur!" you shrieked through your laughter.

"Don't fret lass, it'll only be a quick moment of pain," he joked.

As Fili drew up his foot, your foot came back, hitting Bofur's shin. He let you go, and you leaped away, grabbing his hat and putting it on your head.

"Lass! Give it back!" Bofur called out to you as you scrambled up the nearest tree. While you may have been a respectable hobbit, it did not mean you didn't know how to act like a child or let your hair down.

You sat up in the branches, looking down at the company. Gandalf sat beneath a different tree, a hint of a smile on his lips. Thorin sat by the fire. While his face was sour, his eyes showed some amusement. Bofur looked downright mad while everyone else laughed at his misfortune.

"Come on lass! I want my hat back!" he called up.

"Why don't you come and get it?" you called back down using the same annoyed tone he had.

Bofur started to climb. It was slow going for him, and you soon became bored.

As he neared where you were, you saw him reach up to a branch that didn't look safe.

"Bofur!" you cried, grabbing his arm as the branch gave out. Instead of falling and injuring himself, you pulled him up to your branch.

"Thanks lass," he breathed, looking warily down at the drop.

"Anytime," you replied, giving him a kiss on the cheek while replacing his hat. As swift as a squirrel, you climbed back down, leaving a blushing Bofur behind.

At Beorn's...

"I am soooo bored!" Kili yelled at the trees. You, along with Fili and Kili, had been sitting in Beorn's garden since breakfast. While you were grateful you had shelter, doing nothing but rest had its downsides.

"Tra la la oh how bored you must be. Tra la la oh you can't be as bored as me," you sang from your tree.

"Do you know what you should do?" Fili called up to you.

"What?" you called back.

"You should go and take Bofur's hat!"

You giggled. Ever since you had first taken Bofur's hat, he was very cautious about it, never letting it out of his sight.

But, you were bored. So you climbed down and walked into the house. Bofur was sitting with Bombur, Ori, Dawlin, and Nori, talking. You stepped lightly up behind him, putting a finger to your lips when Ori looked up.

You came up right behind him, carefully reached out, and grabbed it. You turned and ran as fast as you could out into the garden. You heard Fili and Kili laughing and Bofur shouting for you to stop.

You put it on your head as you wove in and out of trees, laughing and taunting him. You faked left, causing him to run in that direction when really, you had climbed up a tree to the right.

"Lass! Come on! I need my hat!" Bofur called, looking up in the trees. He finally spotted you.

"I think 'need' is a very strong word," you called back.

"Don't make me come up there."

You leaned forward. "Try."

Bofur started to climb. He was halfway up when a branch broke and he went tumbling back down. Thankfully, he hadn't been that high up and only escaped with a bruised bottom.

"What do you want in return for my hat?" Bofur called up.

"Hmm, why don't you tell me something."

"What?"

"I don't know. A childhood story. Your deepest, darkest secret. Anything. If I deem it fit, I'll come back down and give you your hat."

Bofur seemed to redden a little as he looked up at you. He swallowed and took a deep breath.

"Y/N, I'm not really sure how to put this, but ever since the first time you stole me hat, I felt different. I realized recently that you stole something else along with my hat."

"What?" you asked, confused. He looked right into your (Y/C) eyes.

"My heart."

You gasped, eyes widening. Slowly, a smile spread across your face as you climbed down. You turned to Bofur, took a step closer, and kissed him.

He was so surprised that he let you walk back to the house, hat still on.


	11. Eternity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bilbo and Thorin :)

Bilbo took a deep breath. Thorin had him lifted in the air. Bilbo had never seen him so angry.

"You treacherous little burglar!" he shouted. Bilbo stayed as still as he could.

"Thorin! Do not damage my burglar!" a familiar voice called. Gandalf threw off his hood so Thorin could see him. "Let Bilbo explain before you kill him!'

Thorin, not wanting to test the anger of a wizard, put Bilbo down. 

"I gave them the Arkenstone as a peace offering. All they need is some gold to rebuild their home," Bilbo said.

"Get out of my sight," Thorin growled. Bilbo started to climb down to Gandalf, giving Thorin one last sad look. He wouldn't meet his eyes. Bilbo felt his heart shatter.

"Come on Bilbo, let's go," Gandalf said. Keeping his head high, Bilbo rode away with Gandalf. The second they were out of eyesight, he started to cry.

"Bilbo, that was just the gold sickness talking," Gandalf said.

"Then why do I feel so broken?" Bilbo said through his tears. Saying nothing more, the two continued on to the camp the Laketown men and the wood-elves had set up.

For days Bilbo would eat nothing. He would only talk when asked a direct question, and even then he would say as few words as possible. Then the Battle of Five Armies came.

Bilbo slipped on his ring and went through the battlefield, killing orcs and wargs as he went. After a while, he found the company. Bilbo protected them from orcs and wargs that tried to get them when their back were turned.

Then he saw Thorin. An orc was sneaking up behind him, sword in the air.

"No!" Bilbo shouted. He ran forward and jumped in front of the orc. The sword went through Bilbo as he chopped off the orcs head. Thorin turned as Bilbo took off the ring.

"Bilbo!" Thorin shouted. Bilbo looked down at his stomach. A sword was sticking through it. The weird part was that he felt no pain. He slumped to the ground as Thorin reached out and caught him, pulling the sword out.

"Bilbo, please stay with me. I'm sorry for everything. Please Bilbo, don't leave me," Thorin pleaded.

"Don't, don't apologize. I'm never going to leave you," Bilbo replied. He still felt no pain. Then, Bilbo saw an orc come up behind Thorin. Before he could say anything, a long knife was sticking through him.

"Thorin!" Bilbo shouted. It was then Bilbo felt the pain. Sharp, biting, clawing pain. Thorin pulled the knife out and collapsed next to Bilbo. They reached for each other's hands, trying to comfort the other.

That's how Beorn found them, barely alive. He carried them to safety. The healers quickly set to work, setting them in cots right next to each other.

Hours later, after the battle, Gandalf came to their tent. Smiling, he touched their hands, which were still entwined. With a sigh, they both left the mortal world.

"Hello?" Bilbo called. He was standing in the rolling green hills of the Shire, only, there were no houses anywhere.

"Bilbo?" a familiar voice called back.

"Thorin? Is that you?" Bilbo replied, running towards the area he heard the voice. At last he saw him. "Thorin!"

"Bilbo!" Thorin laughed, sweeping him into his arms. They embraced for a long while, drinking in each other's warmth.

"What happened? I remember the battle and you-" Bilbo was cut off by Thorin's lips against his own. He leaned into it, glad they no longer had to be careful others were around.

"I think, we are beyond their sight," Thorin said after he broke off the kiss. "Do you forgive me for being so cruel to you?"

"Thorin, all of that is behind us. There is nothing to forgive. Now come on. If this is the Shire, Bag End is this way," Bilbo said, taking Thorin's hand in his. 

"I told you," Bilbo said after a minute. Even though they had only been walking for a little while, Bag End was in sight. Maybe it would only take a month the go to Erebor, if Thorin ever did want to go back to his home.

"What?" Thorin asked.

"I'm never leaving you."

Smiling, they walked towards their eternity together, never stopping to doubt what had happened while they were alive.


	12. Hand in Hand

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ori and Reader :)

"Admit it, you like Ori," Fili said. Refusing to give in, you shook your head. Thankfully it was cold out so you could hide your blush.

"Denial is the first stage!" Kili sang.

"So I can say you love Bombur and if you deny it means you do like him?" you shot back. The boys were silent. "Thought so."

You skipped away from your idiot brothers and caught up with rest of the company. You could never admit that you liked Ori. It would mean endless teasing. Plus, you were the heir to the throne, you had to marry someone of higher status. Another words, not a scribe.

You sighed as you looked up at the sky. It was a very cold day for October. You were most worried about Bilbo, the tiny little thing didn't have the thickest of jackets.

"You alright Bilbo?" you asked. He had been shivering and tried to stop when you spoke up. Thorin still thought him a grocer and he was trying to tough it out.

"No, I'm fine. What about you? You don't have a jacket on," he said. It was true, everyone had a jacket on but you. You had been born a strange dwarf. You could stand the heat, as all dwarves, but you could also stand the cold.

"I don't ever get cold," you replied, laughing when his eyes widened. "Well, I haven't been in temperatures cold enough that I do get cold."

"How-?"

"Don't bother asking. Even Thorin doesn't know," Bofur said.

"Eavesdropping again?" you said.

"Well you aren't in the most secluded area for talking," Ori pipped up. You laughed. Out of the corner of your eye, you saw Ori smile a little bit more.

The rest of the time, Bilbo walked with a thicker coat. It wasn't yours actually. Some of the other dwarves(Bofur, Ori, Nori, Kili, and Fili) decided they would all switch coats. The results were everyone having a different coat, except Ori, who was stuck with no coat.

You glanced at your brothers, who were laughing silently. They were trying to set you up. The worst part was that it was working. You couldn't stand to watch Ori shiver.

Thankfully, the sun started to disappear and Thorin called for a stop. Oin and Gloin got a fire going and Ori was able to stop shivering.

You breathed a sigh of relief as you graciously took some stew. Thorin put Ori on first watch and you on second. Kili giggled the tiniest bit. You shot him a death glare and went to get some sleep.

"Y/N. Y/N," came from a far distance. You groaned and sat up. Ori was kneeling next to you. You remembered that you had second watch.

"Ugh, I was having such a nice dream, too," you moaned as you moved over to the tree. Ori smiled a little.

"May I ask what it was about?"

"Summer walks under the night sky. Dancing into the night."

"Sometimes I dream about books." 

"Books?" you laughed softly. Ori grinned and nodded.

"Books piled to the highest ceiling. Sometimes books that I've written. Sometimes drawing pictures of y-" He stopped himself. Your eyes widened as you moved a little closer to him.

"Me?" you asked quietly.

"Yes," he said, moving a little closer to you.

"My dream that I was just having? It was you I was dancing with." With that, you closed the distance. You kissed for barely a second before someone cleared their throat. You looked up and saw Thorin standing there, arms crossed.

"Thorin," was all you said. He walked over to you and practically dragged you into the trees.

"What was that?" he asked. You swallowed.

"Me kissing Ori?" you offered. Thorin started pacing in front of you.

"Do you not remember when I told you you couldn't marry someone of low rank?" You ducked your head as you nodded.

"Do you not know this adventure will make everyone on it of high rank?" Your eyes widened as you looked up at him. He was smiling the tiniest bit. You smiled and gave him a hug before running back to the rest of the company. 

"Ori!" you exclaimed quietly. He looked up at you, confused. You explained what had just happened. His smile continued to widen as he picked you up and spun you around.

You laughed quietly and kissed him when he set you down. The next morning, you walked hand in hand with Ori, ignoring the giggling of your brothers.


	13. The Shadow Girl

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Original Character :)

The fire was blazing, a stew boiling over it. She watched them take their shares, eating. When was the last time she had done the same? Years and years it must be. Too long.

She waited, waited, waited. At last the wizard stood, going off to scout. He probably thought there was no threat. How could there? Two men, an elf, and a dwarf were in the group, all trained fighters.

She came from the shadows. The elf started before the others, realizing what was happening. He reached for an arrow, but it was too late. She thrust her sword into the fire, the blade soaking up the flames. They were plunged into complete darkness.

There was the sound of scrambling, low grunts. One by one they stopped. The fire appeared again, leaping out of her sword. They were all tied up, gagged. Their weapons dumped in a pile a ways away. They stared up at their captor.

She had coffee skin, her raven hair back in a simple braid, reaching her lower back. Her clothes-shirt, pants, and cloak-were like coal. In her hand was a tarnished sword. It seemed to be taking in the light, leaving shadow.

She watched them as they watched her. She tilted her head, studying them.

"Hcihw eno fo ouy seirrac eht gnir?" she asked. They looked to Aragorn, who knew many languages. Even he was confused. He asked something in Elvish, then Khuzdul.

"I tnod kaeps yna fo esoht segaugnal. hcihw fo ouy seirrac eht gnir? I tnod tnaw ot tropsnart lla fo ouy."

Aragorn shook his head. She whipped her head to her right, eyes narrowing. She took a step back, disappearing, becoming the shadows.

Gandalf burst through the trees, staff raised. Frodo shook is head, trying to make him understand that he shouldn't be here. Something powerful was in the shadows, was the shadows.

No sooner did the wizard step in front of the fire, his shadow falling on the ground, did she appear, right out of his shadow.

"Ouy tndlouhs evah emoc, Fladnag eht Yerg," she practically growled. He thrust his staff at her, blinding light emitting from the top. She met it with her sword. The light faded quickly, jumping into her sword. Gandalf's eyes widened, taking a quick step back.

She pointed her sword at him, the blade glowing when there was a sudden whack. She slumped to the ground, sword dimming. Aragorn stood behind her, handle of a knife up.

She first felt a headache like none she had ever had. She didn't move, but she searched for the shadows. There were none, and she felt, for the first time, a sense of panic.

"I think she's waking up."

She sat up, not even difficult, despite her tightly bound hands and legs.

"Tel em og, ouy citethap sgnieb." She looked around on the ground. The sun was high, which meant short shadows. Even if they came close to her, their shadow wouldn't touch her. The trees were far away, her way of escape far away. She needed them to try to touch her, or come very, very close.

"What are you doing here? Who are you?" the man with the horn at his belt asked. She tilted her head. What language were they speaking? It was different than Elvish, Khuzdul, and the black tongue. Of course, she didn't speak any of those languages, but she could recognize them. What new language was this?

"Tahw? Tahw era ouy gniyas?"

"Gandalf, what language is this?"

"A language I haven't heard in a very, very long time."

The wizard turned to her. He raised his hand and closed his eyes. She felt something rushing through her, causing her head to increase in pain. She closed her eyes tight, looking down. Then, it was gone.

"What did you do to me?" she asked. They could understand it, and she seemed mildly surprised she could speak in that tongue.

"Who are you?" the man asked again.

She laughed, startling them. "I? I am shadows. I serve Him. He sends me on quests, and I bring back His prize. This quest involves the bearer of the ring. He so desperately needs his treasure, his precious."

She tilted her head to the side. They seemed to be standing around one of the hobbits. He unconsciously moved his hand to his neck. He had the ring.

"But you want a name. Names, however, hold power. If you know my name, you control me. I did not trust the wizard who made me like this. I don't even trust Him. Only I know my name. I am my own master."

"But you had a name before, didn't you?" the elf said.

"Yes, I suppose I did. But that name is long gone, faded of the years to a forgotten memory."

"What is it?" the man with the horn asked. She started to say it, stopped, and smiled.

"Trying to trick me? Good, you were so close. You almost had me, like He almost has you. Your city of white, your holy tree, black. Ash covering every inch of white. Shadows creeping into the hearts of men, turning them cold. Bodies strewn over the ground. No one left to give a proper burial, or even dig a hasty grave. Just the dark, cold, unforgiving shadow. Already in your father, turning to you, next your poor, innocent, defenseless brother. I imagine He will give dear little brother a spot at His side, reserved for the most coldhearted."

The man drew his sword, beginning to thrust it at her. The other man grabbed his arm, stopping him. It was too late. The edge of the sword's shadow was at her feet, and all she had to do was lean forward.

She was gone. Her sword was still on the ground, but so were her bonds. There was laughter coming from the shadows of the trees.

"Gondor, Mirkwood, Rivendell, Erebor, the Shire. Imagine ash raining down on your homes. Women screaming, children lying dead in the street. The shadows sucking the light out the pure, turning them as dark as Him. It is easiest to take light. Look at the wizard, Saruman the White. His heart grew dark years ago. He showed me the shadows, showed me Him. I was the savior of my village, making a deal to bring rain for our starving crops.

"I saved my sister, my mother, my father. I saved my neighbors, my people. But that deal showed me a new way of life. Their hearts weren't dark enough. Their smiles were too bright. They wouldn't join me, so I went on my first killing spree."

Her voice echoed around the clearing. They spun, trying to catch her. sometimes she whispered in their ears, sometimes she sounded far into the trees.

"It was so fun to cut down all of those men, who thought the ground they walked on was holy. Who thought that their way was always right. Who were the first to rush to war over an apple. It was beautiful to stab through the women, who gossiped about a speck of dust. Who complained about their husbands sleeping around, when they did the exact same thing. Who were greedy for respect.

"But the most fun, after killing all who had done wrong, was the innocent. All the children, who smiled when they first saw me come to the village. Those precious little children. I can still feel the wonderful warmth of their blood. I can still see the delightful looks of terror. I can still hear the beautiful sounds of their screams. So high, like bells on a clear day. They didn't bother to plead for their lives, like so many adults do. They died screaming for the help of someone, anyone. But all the adults were dead, and no hero swooped in to save the day from the mean, nasty villain."

While she told her tale, Gandalf frantically searched his mind. He new the spell Saruman had used. What was the counter spell?

With a faint hope it would work, the wizard thrust his staff forward. Her laughter stopped abruptly. A body fell out of the trees. It shook a little, as if trying to bring itself to life. Her head raised, a smile still on her face.

"Look at that. Two of you, just two, will have hearts that turn dark. Hearts of shadow. Hearts of Senka."

With that, Senka bowed her head, her shaking stopping. Gandalf hesitantly stepped towards her. She seemed to melt away, leaving a wrinkled body that seemed too old to be in the sun.

The Fellowship left that clearing, the two hearts destined to become cold nervously beating.


	14. World

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Boromir and Reader :)

You held your gut, falling to your knees. How could this happen? How could you live with yourself? How could you go on without him? 

"Y/N," Faramir whispered. You took his hand, letting him pull you up. What could he be going through right now? He just lost his brother, someone he knew his whole life. You've just known him for three years.

"Lady Y/N, pack your bags and leave. I want you out of here by nightfall," Denethor practically spat. He had never liked you, and now Boromir wasn't there to stop him from throwing you out.

"Father, give her a day," Faramir tried to argue, his voice nearly breaking. Denethor was overcome with grief. Right now, he wasn't going to listen to anyone.

You left the hall, arms still wrapped around your gut. You had to get out. Get away.

You barely shut your bedroom door when the tears came, taking over every breath. You sobbed, keeping a hand to your mouth to try to silence the sound.

"My lady." Jenida somehow managed to get in, helping you to your bed. She had been your servant and trustworthy friend since you were fifteen. She held you, letting you cry.

There was a knock at the door, and Faramir came in. His eyes were full of tears as he knelt before you. He took your hands, head bent.

"I cannot change his mind. I can pay for your new home, but all I can give is a cottage. I'm sorry I can't do more."

You looked up, wiping away your tears. "You have done more than enough. You are my brother, and I'm sorry that you have lost yours."

"She can stay with me and my mother," Jenida piped up. "We have more than enough room, and I'd hate to be apart for her."

You nodded, accepting the offer. Faramir placed a gentle kiss to your head and left.

As you road away from your previous home, you placed a hand to your stomach.

"Your father will be with you, always," you whispered.

Two years later, you held your son tightly. A new king had been crowned, Aragorn, son of Arathorn. When he found out that you were Boromir's wife, he gave you back your home, where you could raise your son.

Faramir became like a father figure, and you were constantly reminded of Boromir in the way that your son stood. In the way his eyes flickered in the light. 

You longed for his arms to be around you once more, but if it meant losing your son, your world, you would turn down the offer immediately.


	15. A Star

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Original Character :)

You looked around at all the people who had come to decide the fate of a small ring. Men, elves, dwarves, a wizard, a hobbit, and you. You, a Lenta. A star.

Quite recently you were granted permission to come to Middle Earth by the Moon and Night, your parents. They sometimes let curious Lenta come down and see the ground up close. It was this way that the elves came about, and why they adored the stars.

Lord Elrond began to speak about the ring, and you were sorry to say the you tuned him out. You knew this history well, you had watched it all happen. Instead you looked around.

You should correct yourself. Men, elves, dwarves, a wizard, four hobbits, and you. One hobbit hid in the bushes, two others behind columns. You smiled at the one under the bush, and he seemed to blush.

Lenta were fair creatures. Pale skin, long Y/C hair, piercing Y/C eyes, and a slender figure. You weren't very tall, but you weren't as short as halflings. Your hair, currently, was up in an intricate bun, held by a single pin.

You tuned back in as a dwarf stood suddenly, swinging his axe down on the ring. You caught a stray shard of his axe before it could hit Lord Elrond. He nodded gratefully at you, and you twirled the shard between your fingers, glad you had something to keep your fingers busy.

The man from Gondor began to argue that the ring could be used as a weapon. Another man, Strider, you had heard the hobbit call him, said it wouldn't work. But the man from Gondor would not listen.

An elf stood, telling the man off, saying that he spoke to Aragorn, son of Arathorn, heir to the throne of Gondor. Strider, or Aragorn, said, "Sit down Legolas," in elvish.

The man from Gondor, however, did not give up.

You stood, speaking, "Ecnelis." The man stopped taking mid sentence and everyone looked at you. The language of of the Lenta was unique. If spoken on the earth, it would control anyone who heard it. You had spoken, "Silence," and all were silent. The effects were only for a few seconds, but it was enough to get your point across or stop an enemy.

You raised your hand and pulled out the pin holding you hair up, then you used the shard to cut off a single strand. You walked towards the ring, holding the strand of your hair over it. You let go, and the second it touched the ring, it was turned to flame, the ashes falling around it.

It was then you spoke.

"This ring is dangerous to Lenta. It's power can burn us, even kill us. Our essence wouldn't be sent to the Moon and Night, and we wouldn't continue to live up in Skea, my home. Our light would fade, like my sister, Trissler. She fought with the elves, if I'm not mistaken."

Elrond nodded, and you continued.

"Sauron grabbed her, lifting her. With his power, he burnt her, and she faded from Skea. That ring must be destroyed, not used as a weapon."

You turned and went back to your seat, twirling your hair into a bun and pining it once more.

No one said anything for a while. Lord Elrond then spoke of casting it into the fires of Mordor, where it had been forged. Soon, everyone was arguing. The men said it would be too risky. The elves said it needed to be done. The dwarves didn't trust the elves. The wizard sided with the elves.

Only the hobbit still sat in his chair, along with you. You watched him carefully as he stared at the ring. He seemed to be worlds away. Then he stood up.

"I will take it!" he shouted. No one heard him, even you didn't, but you understood the importance of his words.

You stood once more, yelling, "Ecnelis!" Everyone stopped talking at once, mildly surprised they couldn't speak. You lowered your hand and turned to the hobbit.

"I will take the ring to Mordor," he said in a small voice, like he wanted someone to tell him no. "But I do not know the way."

"I will show you the way," the wizard said somewhat sadly, placing a hand on the hobbit's shoulder.

Aragorn stepped forward. "You have my sword."

"And my bow," said Legolas.

"And my axe," said a dwarf.

The man from Gondor stepped forward. "Gondor will help you."

Suddenly, the hobbit who was hiding under the bush burst forward. "You can't send Mister Frodo anywhere without me!"

"Yes," replied Elrond, "it seems we can't. Even when he was invited to a secret meeting."

The two hobbits from the columns ran in as well.

Elrond was doing his best to continue looking stern, and you smiled.

He announced that this group of nine would be called, "The Fellowship of the Ring." You dismissed yourself, walking to the highest point in Rivendell. There you waited until night came.

"Would it be possible for me to join them?" 

"I do not know. We do not want you so close to that evil. You already took a huge chance today."

"I will not be carrying it, I will be helping the hobbit get to Mordor. I will be avenging Trissler, in a way."

"I can see that there will be great peril ahead. Are you sure you want to continue?"

"I am sure. I want to do some good in the place I have watched for so long."

"Here are your weapons. Do not stray from your task, and do not try to do more than you are asked. These days are long, and it will take longer for us to come."

"I understand."

The next day, you confronted Frodo. "Would it be too late for one more person to join your Fellowship?"

He glanced at Gandalf, then Elrond, before replying. "We could always use another fighter."

And that is how the Fellowship came to ten, a member from each race.


	16. I Promise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bilbo and Thorin :)

The Lonely Mountain was a great god the looked over the land. This god still stood after fighting a beast with fire in it's throat. This god still fought through a war against creatures too vile to be seen in the sun. The god's brother, Moria, was now at war with vile creatures who never knew when to stop.

"The orcs have the great hall, sire. It is unwise to attack through there. However, if we sneak around to the throne room, we'll have better fighting ground."

"What about the private chamber off of the great hall? There is a secret passage that leads to there from the weapon room."

"We can send more spies to get a better idea of where they stand, but it could be a suicide mission."

"Sire! An urgent message!"

"Yes, what is it?"

"Dain's people found a room filled with bound and chained prisoners. Most of them were dwarves, but some were hobbits."

"So we have started to find them. Send only a few spies up the passage. Dwalin can show them where it starts. Tell them that if there is even an orc weapon in the private chamber, they should get out as quickly as possible.

"Get the dwarves food and rest, then tell them to bear up arms if able. Get the hobbits as far away from the fighting as possible and get them whatever is needed. If any are strong enough and up to it, get them to tell as much as possible of where the others could be."

Everyone cleared out, going off to finish tasks and send men off. The king, the king just below the god, was left alone.

Well, alone except for one.

"Thorin, you are going to kill yourself before you see battle," Bilbo murmured, walking from his corner to in front of the makeshift throne the king sat on. "Please, let me get you some food."

"I'm not hungry."

The hobbit rolled his eyes and did what few dared do. He swiftly walked up the three steps the held the small chair pulled from the wreckage the held the king. He knelt down and stared directly into his eyes. His blue, tired eyes.

"I am grateful that you have taken this up and have agreed to help us when others would not, but it won't help if you die before we accomplish what is needed."

"I swore I wouldn't rest until the hobbits that were stolen are returned to their homes."

"And I swore that I would help where ever I could. I'm trying to help now. If you move from that spot and disappear to secretly talk with your advisors, I will force food down your throat."

He left, leaving Thorin to his thoughts, his wicked thoughts that he hated so much.

"You treacherous little burglar!" His hands worked against him, lifting his friend by the neck and holding him over the ramparts.

The fear in Bilbo's eyes. The fear that would never disappear from his eyes, no matter how many good years were put between them and that moment. 

The only thing the sickness was afraid of was something that could be more powerful. A wizard was a perfect example. It was because of him Bilbo now walks free.

But the betrayal that lingered. In his burglar, in his friends, in himself. The betrayal that fought the sickness and held it off long enough to lead his people into battle.

"Thorin. Thorin!"

He was snapped out of his thoughts. Bilbo stood in front of him, a small chunk of bread and an apple in his hands.

"Eat," he commanded. He stood over him, arms crossed, making sure he ate.

"You can be very intimidating when you want to be," Thorin remarked.

"I learned from the best."

They shared a smile, that smile only the few who had traveled with them knew of.

"You should go and see your people. I'm sure they find us intimidating," Thorin said, hiding his sadness.

"Are you sure you won't need me?"

"I've got a whole army around me. I'll be fine."

Bilbo bent down and gently kissed his head. Despite only being brought into the dwarf culture a few years ago, he knew so much. Like this. To say farewell to someone you hold dear in your heart, you kiss their head. It was like a wish of safety.

As the hobbit left, more dwarves arrived.

"Sire, the orcs have filled the great hall. It looks like they have taken most of the connecting rooms, but not the private chamber. Also, sire, there are hobbits all over."

Thorin sat back. "How many?"

"At least two hundred, maybe more. A third of that was children."

"We need to get in there as quickly as possible. Call in Dwalin and Balin."

"Yes, sire."

Thorin despised orcs, but now he hated them even more. They must have wanted to take revenge on them from the Battle of the Five Armies and stolen away to Hobbiton.

He could never tell Bilbo his thoughts about this. His burglar thought it was just orcs being orcs, but they must have seen how it was a hobbit that killed their leader and went to take it out on the entire race.

Thankfully, their numbers were too few and they were only able to damage a small part of the land and take a small part of the population.

"My King," Dwalin said, bowing low. Balin did the same. They were to only ones who didn't address him as 'sire.'

"What have you gathered from the orcs? What are their habits?"

"They eat once everyday and sleep from the early morning until midday. Only a few stay guard and the hobbits are only contained by them."

Thorin contemplated every option and way of getting to the hobbits. He finally came up with an idea.

"We will send in a few archers to take out the guards, with as little noise as possible. The lightest on their feet will get the hobbits, get as many of them out as possible. If any wake up, engage with as little sound as possible. Have the army waiting at both entrances in case it spirals out of control. Right now, our main priority is to get the hobbits out."

"Right away, my King," Balin said, walking briskly out. Dwalin lingered for a moment.

"Will you be fighting?"

"That all depends on what Oin says. And if Bilbo even lets me pick up my sword."

Dwalin chuckled, bowing and leaving.

The hour drew nearer, and Thorin assembled his armor. He was about to start putting the heavy metal on when a hand touched his shoulder.

"If you're going out, then please put this on," Bilbo said, holding out the shirt of mithril.

"It was a gift for you, and you will keep it."

"No, you will wear it for this battle. I do not want you to brush with death again. I am not fighting, so you don't need to worry."

"Bilbo, keep it, please. If the orcs get through to you-"

He was abruptly cut off when Bilbo grabbed his face and kissed him full on the lips. To say he was surprised was an understatement. This was the first time since he woke up from his injuries that they had kissed.

They parted, panting a bit. Thorin stroked his burglar's face, drinking in the moment.

"I will be with the hobbits far away from the hall. I don't doubt the might of the dwarf army, and I don't doubt your strength. I just don't want to lose you. And I can't go through praying for you to live again. Just wear the damn shirt. Please."

He didn't argue, and they broke their connection. Bilbo took in one last image of the king before turning and retreating to his people, sword at his belt.

••••••••••

Less than an hour later, hobbits began to arrive into the king's chamber. This was where the dwarves had set up camp for the refugees. Bilbo greeted every hobbit that passed through those doors. They were crying tears of joy, hugging each other and clutching to that last ray of hope that they would go back home.

Bilbo went from family to family, helping when ever he could. He watched for the army's return and listened for the sounds of fighting.

"Mister Baggins! Mister Baggins!" shouted a dwarf from the door. Bilbo transferred a small child into the arms of Oin and rushed to the door.

"Yes? What is it?"

"A few orcs have escaped from the great hall. We need you to help defend the door."

He swallowed and nodded, drawing Sting. They made sure all the hobbits were in the chamber and closed the door. It was dwarf made, so it disappeared once closed, ensuring the safety of those inside.

There were growls that echoed off the walls. Despite Moria once being a dwarf kingdom, orcs had over taken it. They knew too well how to navigate the halls.

The first orc came around the corner and a dwarf launched themselves at it. As more came, the fight began.

Bilbo stayed near the door, stabbing an orc that somehow managed to get past the dwarves. Only a few had escaped the Great Hall and the battle was quickly over.

"Keep a watch for more orcs! Mister Baggins, you should go back inside." The dwarf turned and mumbled a word. The doors opened and Bilbo slipped through.

He began to help once again. It was as if he was the true hero, the way the hobbits hugged him. They were gripping at anything that reminded them of home, even if the thing was a hobbit who was dressed like a dwarf.

"Victory!" came a cry. "We have defeated the orcs! Victory is ours!"

People cheered. The victory meant everyone could go home, hobbits and dwarves alike. Moria was not ready for occupation, not yet.

Bilbo searched over the heads of the army that was know arriving. He had to be there. He had to be there.

Thorin practically strolled through the doors, looking like the true king he was. He had led his people into battle, and now they were victorious.

Bilbo ran to the king, not caring that others saw him launch himself into his arms. The arms who hugged him back tightly.

"I'm glad you're okay," the hobbit whispered.

"As am I. I promise I won't leave you to a state of panic ever again."

He laughed and released Thorin. "You always have me in a state of panic. Just promise you'll never leave me here alone."

"I promise."


	17. To Be Told

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pippin and Reader :)

"Grab the biggest one!"

"Which one? They're all huge!"

"That one!"

You grabbed the firework Pippin had been pointing to. It was huge. A dragon twisted around it, it's mouth open.

You tossed it back to him, climbing out of the wagon. Merry ran over, a matchbox in hand, a grin on his face.

You helped them carry it to a tent nearby, so no one would see you light it.

"I'll stand guard," you said, slipping out. You listened to them bicker a little from outside, twisting your wooden bracelet around your wrist.

When hobbits proposed, they made a promise bracelet. usually it was cloth or, if they had lots of money, a metal one with a stone inlaid in it. 

You, on the other hand, had one with wooden beads. They were all carved differently, some round, some square, some with carvings. They came together in a clasp that have a key hole carved in it. It may have been wooden, the lowest you could get with promise bracelets, but you treasured it like it was gold.

The tent suddenly exploded, flying high into the air. You fell to the ground, watching it travel higher and higher. It exploded, turning into a monstrous dragon that soared over your heads before exploding in a multicolored finale of fireworks.

You stood up, looking down at two figures whose hair was standing on end and front sides covered in soot. They looked up at you, and you fell to the ground laughing.

"Look...at...yourselves!" you managed to get out. They looked at each other, then began laughing as well.

"Let's light another one!" Merry exclaimed. As you got up, someone grabbed you and held you against the wagon. You looked up at the face of Gandalf the Grey.

"Meriadoc Brandybuck, Peregrin Took, and Y/N. I should have known you would try something like this."

"What do you mean? I was standing outside the tent, just marveling at the night sky while Pippin and Merry had a private conversation in the tent. How should I have known they were going to light a firework?" You had a talent for spinning tales and making them seem real. Gandalf actually believed you, setting a punishment for the other two.

You leaned against the table, watching the two hobbits wash dishes.

"Come on, it's not that bad," you said. Pippin held up his wrinkly hands, and you cringed. Wrinkly hands made everything feel weird.

"You couldn't just take the punishment?" Merry asked.

"Nope!" you replied cheerfully. You skipped off to get cake, balancing three plates as you walked back. "Break for cake!"

Merry and Pippin dug in, happy to stop their chore, even if for only a moment. You continued to twist your bracelet around and around. The wedding was in a week, and you felt butterflies every time you thought about it.

"Is that bothering you?" Pippin asked. You looked up and giggled, using your hand to wipe the frosting off his cheek. He kissed you, holding you close.

"Ugh! I'm standing right here!" Merry complained, holding his hand up over his eyes.

You broke away, winking.

The rest of the night was uneventful. You and Pippin took a walk, counting the stars. Everyone retired to their homes a little after 1am. It was a quiet night.

When the day of the wedding arrived, you donned your white dress, pinned a flower in your hair, and secured your bracelet.

"Oh! You look so beautiful!" Rosie said. She was your best friend, and honestly, it was a miracle you were getting married before her. She had so many admirers, but you were the only one who knew that she was holding out for Samwise Gamgee. If he would just get a move on, they might actually get married before they are old.

"Thank you. I just hope Pippin remembers the rings. Then everything will be smooth sailing."

You looked at each other before bursting out laughing. Nothing was ever smooth sailing when hobbits were involved.

"Y/N. It's time," Bell Gamgee said. You thanked Sam's mother for letting you use her house(it was much closer to the field than your own), took a deep breath, and walked out the door.

Every hobbit who had been invited stood when you passed. But you paid them no heed. For the only person who mattered, the only person you saw, was Pippin. And he was smiling as widely as you were.

Hobbit ceremonies are short and to the point. You exchanged rings, promised to love and cherish each other till death, and were pronounced husband and wife. He kissed you, and you could hear everyone cheering for you.

The festivities lasted well into the night. This time, there wasn't a disappearing Bilbo to cut it short, and everyone was getting home as the sun rose.

It was well after your honeymoon when you found yourself in Farmer Maggot's fields, dashing through the corn. You crashed through, running into someone. Merry tripped over you, and Pippin skidded to a stop before he could fall.

"Hello Frodo, Sam, do you mind holding these?" he asked, shoving the armful of corn into Sam's hands. He pulled you and Merry to your feet and off you went.

Frodo and Sam came crashing behind. Sam, unfortunately, lost the corn.

"I don't understand why Farmer Maggot is after us," Pippin said. "We only stole some corn."

"And the tomatoes from last week," Merry panted.

"There were onions in the tomato batch, too," you added.

"And potatoes."

"Don't forget carrots."

"Yes, well, the point is, he is clearly overreacting!" Pippin finished. Just in time too, because a moment later, all five of you tumbled over a drop-off.

The point of this story? There is so much more story to be told, and every part of it is told with Pippin at your side.


	18. Devotion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Frodo and Reader :)

"I'm going with you."

"(Y/N), the elves have been around for centuries. They are the oldest race of middle earth. You can't just force yourself onto the boat."

"Frodo, sweetie, you married me for my attitude. And here it is. I'd like to see those elves try to stop me from getting on that boat."

You crossed your arms and stomped your foot for good measure. You could see his lips move upward the tiniest bit. It broke your heart seeing your husband like that sometimes. Before his adventure, you doing that made him laugh. Now he barely smiled.

You hadn't gone on the adventure. You had been at the pub with Rosie, helping her clean up. Because it was the two of you, you joked around and gossiped. It was so late when you finally made it home to Bag End, so it didn't surprise you when you didn't see a light on. But Frodo, your husband of two years was gone. He had left nothing but a note explaining everything about the ring and what he had to do. He told you to quickly pack and go stay with Rosie.

You did what he said, knowing that Frodo wouldn't just run off in the middle of the night if the cause hadn't been desperate. You packed what you needed and went to Rosie's. You showed her the letter and cried and let her care for you.

A year passed. Frodo was still missing, but you still didn't give up hope that he'd return. You ironed his shirts every Sunday, like he was still with you.

When he finally did return a month later, you hardly believed him to be real. He was wearing clothing that was so different from what he had left in. His pony was carrying chests and bags of treasure. You grabbed him the second his feet touched the ground and hugged him for a long time. He buried his head in your hair, and you realized he was crying. 

He was different. His eyes always looked tired. His shoulders, once proud, now slumped ever so slightly. He didn't eat as much anymore. It was as if the life had been drained from him.

At first you had been furious with him. How could he up and leave you with nothing but a note and no promise of return? But that only lasted two days. You knew that he needed you, and you couldn't just leave him.

Two years after he had returned and Sam and Rosie had married and started a family, the elves had invited him to the Undying Lands. You had never met the elves, so they didn't extend the invitation to you, but you weren't about to let Frodo go that easily.

"(Y/N), please. I don't want to leave you, but I don't feel like myself here. I, I don't know how to explain it."

"You don't have to. I know that your adventure changed you. I don't blame you for going. But I will hate you and myself forever if I don't go with you."

He gave up. You only packed your clothes and the most valuable things; your books, the photos of your parents, and a baby blanket you had had since you were small. Frodo did the same, and pretended that he was packing Bilbo's things and not his own. He hadn't told his friends, in fear of never being able to leave.

You, however, had spent a day with Rosie, explaining everything. She listened patiently, only tearing her attention away to feed her children. She promised to keep the secret from Sam, and understood why you had to go. Frodo was your best friend. You loved him more than anyone. She tearfully told you goodbye. It didn't help when you told her that you and Frodo were leaving her and Sam Bag End. You knew she wanted a big family, and their small home didn't allow her to follow this dream. Now she could. You jokingly told her to name her next daughter after you, and she swore she would.

The elves greeted you with gentle smiles. Frodo said his goodbyes to his friends, and you both began to board. 

"I did not realize you were coming," Lord Elrond said. You looked up at him and nodded. 

"I couldn't let Frodo go off on another adventure without me." You silently dared him to tell you no. Lady Galadriel laughed softly.

"I don't think I have seen such devotion between two people. You have a place in the Undying Lands. Welcome, (Y/N)."

Frodo threw his arm around you and you couldn't stop smiling.

The Undying Lands brought your Frodo back. He seemed filled with life again. You were glad you decided to go with him, and the two of you lived happily ever after.


	19. Warmth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bain and Reader

You knew the cold and wet well. You were never one for strangers, but you gladly welcomed the rare warmth of the sun if it ever managed to get through your small window. So small it was, you were surprised any air got in at all. At least when it rained and the lake flooded, not a lot of water got in.

The Master. The King of the Lake. His obsession for gold and power ran deep. You stole a coin. One small coin from his large collection. Somehow he knew. It was like he could sense it. He found you, locked you up. He probably forgot about you. It was easy to when you had no family to wonder. 

An orphan at the age of 12. Prisoner at the age of 14.

You heard music being played above you. People laughed. You wanted to call out, but your voice had been damaged when you had been captured. The guards were gentle, but the Master. Who knew he had so much strength? He only let you go when Alfrid told him of the dangers of a dead child. You were near death when they threw you in here. Every other day bread was thrown at you through the iron doors. At least someone remembered you. 

The following day was calm. The night wasn't.

You heard someone scream. It ripped you from your sleep. You went to the window, standing on the tips on your toes. There was an orange light. You squinted, but soon ducked out of the way. Fire came spilling through your window. You couldn't scream, but you could cry for the burns on your arm. You waved out of your window for help, but no one saw. Maybe they did, but they ignored you.

Until one boat stopped. 

A tall lady with red hair pulled on the metal bars. To your surprise, they loosened. Soon, the bars were gone. A boy pulled you out, and you cried harder.

The tall lady directed the boat away from the fire. The boy jumped out just before you could escape. The other girls screamed his name. You cradled your damaged arm. What had caused this?

Just look into the sky. A huge dragon flew around, releasing it's fire on the poor wooden town. You heard people screaming. How many people wouldn't be saved? How many would perish?

Then the dragon fell. It crashed into it's own fire. 

The sun was in the sky when you reached the shore. You collapsed on the beach. The girls you were with helped you up. The older one went around helping people up. The younger one looked around for her brother. The boy and a taller man finally appeared, and they all embraced. You sat away from the others and tried to work through the pain of your burns. 

An older woman with a kind smile approached you. She asked for your name, but you couldn't answer. She frowned and darted off. She came back soon, dragging a man with black hair and a unibrow. 

"Who is she? I know that there were rumors of a girl being held in the Master's personal dungeons. Is this her?" the woman demanded. The boy and his family were nearby. He turned and looked at you, and you held his gaze, trying to show how thankful you were.

"I think her name was (Y/N). She stole some of the Master's gold. Her punishment was five years in the dungeons. She still has three years before she can be set free."

He looked at you in such a way you flinched and felt nothing but disgust. The woman pushed him away. She left and returned with a weird paste and bandages. You noticed that lots of other people were receiving this treatment. You let her spread the cold and burning paste on your arm and tightly secure the bandage. She moved on, but was stopped by the tall man that had appeared with the boy.

He came near you, his family in tow. 

"Hello, (Y/N). My name is Bard. This is my son Bain and my daughters Sigrid and Tilda."

You nodded and offered a weak smile. The boy extended his hand, and you hesitated before taking it. He pulled you to your feet.

You felt a strange warmth from these people. It was like everything you had been missing in your life stuffed into one moment. But when you looked at Bain, that warmth grew more intense, but less suffocating. You smiled. And he smiled back.


End file.
